Josephine
by Shatterdoll
Summary: AU When Alfred and Matthew start to receive calls from beyond the grave their classmate Arthur tells them of the local legend Josephine who killed herself after being left by her husband. A woman still determined to be reunited with him no matter what...
1. Chapter 1

Hello~ Yeah I know, it's probably annoying when I start new stories and still have so many ongoing ones. I decided I wanted to write a scary story and the plot to this gradually came to me yesterday. I wrote this at obscure hours in the morning and freaked myself out -laughs- It's probably creepier at night.

The rating for this is based mostly on language. This won't really have pairings so much as high school friendship. There will be some mild fanservice later in the story.

This story certainly won't be finished by Halloween but it is written for it, in the spirit of it I guess. Unfortunately this is mid-terms week for me so I won't be writing anything fun until it's over so this is the last thing you'll see from me until probably next week. So... Happy Halloween to everyone~!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia or its characters!

* * *

Heart pounding violently, Alfred shook his head slowly. "No...oh god no...No please don't...please don't!"

His pleas went unheeded as the ghoulish creature closed in, face that of a half-rotted corpse. "No! Oh god no! Please stop!"

Two screams pierced the dark as the monster swooped in for the kill, one sharply cut off and the other fading into a whimper. Alfred fumbled with the remote and paused the movie, visually shaken from what he had just watched. Damn it, why did scary movies have to be so... scary?

Sweeping his hair off of his sweat soaked forehead, Alfred took deep breaths to calm himself. This movie was way too intense. Mattie was such a jerk for refusing to watch it with him and going out to spend the night at a friend's house. Since when did his brother have friends anyway? Probably getting sky high with that Cuban jerk while Alfred was left all alone to nearly die of a heart attack.

Alfred sighed at the paused screen, the pale blue light hurting his eyes in the dark. This kinda sucked. When his parents had said they would be gone through Halloween Alfred had thought it would be the best thing ever. There was still some potential; after all Halloween was sure to be a blast. But other than that all it had resulted in was him staying up to ungodly hours in the open rather than staying up to ungodly hours secretly in his bedroom. And of course eating a diet consisting of nothing other than school cafeteria food, soda, and pizza.

Well, maybe he should go get some of that pizza he hadn't eaten earlier. A calm stomach was the gateway to calm nerves, right? As Alfred reached the hallway he suddenly paused, swallowing hard. In his overambitious determination to watch the horror film by himself he had dared to turn all the lights off. Of course when he started the movie there was still a bit of sun left but now it was practically pitch black outside. His hand started to fumble for a light switch and he clenched his fist. No, Alfred F. Jones was no coward! He was going to do this... In the dark... alone... No one had died in this house, right?

Suppressing another whimper, Alfred started to shuffle towards the kitchen, body tensing at each little unidentified sound. Nothing had jumped out to eat him by the time he reached the fridge and he let out a relieved breath. Feeling a touch more confident he opened up the fridge door, the light splashing over him and casting shadows across the kitchen floor. He quickly ignored them and grabbed a piece of pizza, slamming the door shut.

Blinking away the bright circles that danced in his vision Alfred was filled once more with dread. The short burst of light had left him temporarily blinded. Clearing his throat loudly, Alfred started back towards the living room.

Fine, everything would be fine, there were not ghosts or monsters...but mostly no ghosts. Everything would be fine. Alfred took a bite of the cold pizza, chewing nervously as he felt his way along the hallway. The soft glow of the television finally came into view, giving the hall an eerie look.

Okay, on the count of three he was going to dash into the room, hide under his blanket, finish the movie, then turn on every single light in the house.

One.

Two.

Thre-

A shill scream sounded from behind him and the pizza fell to the floor as Alfred's heart jumped into his throat. He whirled around, wide eyes desperately trying to find the source of the sound. It came again and with a sheepish wave of relief he realized it was the phone. "Fuck that scared me!"

Grumbling to himself, Alfred fumbled towards the phone that he had passed and picked it up as it rang again. This had better be good, his pizza had been ruined. "Hello?"

There was a pause of silence then a sound like a woman murmuring something.

"...Hello, is anyone there?"

"...Jon...?"

A small frown tugged on Alfred's lips. Was there something wrong with the connection? "Um, yeah this is the Jones residence."

"Jo- ... Jona...thon?" The voice was wispy... Soft and sorrowful. Like the speaker might burst into tears in a moment's notice.

"Er...I'm sorry. There's no Jonathon here. You must have-"

"Oh Jonathon... Please come home. I miss you... Please...?"

Oookay this was starting to get a little awkward. Maybe she was drunk. "I'm really sorry but I'm telling you, you've got the wrong number."

"...I love you Jonathon. Please come home... Won't you please? I miss you... I've missed you for such a long time..."

An uncomfortable chill went down Alfred's back. "...I'm going to hang up now, I hope you reach whoever you're trying to get a hold of."

"I know it's you Jonathon." The voice took on a sharp tone that startled Alfred. "You will come back to me. I love you Jonathon. I love you to death."

Alfred slammed the phone down, thoroughly creeped out. What the hell? Crazy drunk woman. Probably calling her ex-boyfriend or husband or something. Just as he turned to walk away the phone rang again. Giving it a weary look he hesitated then picked up on the second ring. "...Hello?"

"Jonathon, why did you leave? Why did you leave me?" There was the faint sound of a sob. "I won't let you go... Come back to me. You can't get away from me Jonathon. Not ever."

Alfred slammed the receiver down again and crouched down quickly to unplug the phone. If someone had to call that night, screw them. Alfred was _not _dealing with that! Heart pounding again, Alfred sighed in relief to have that done with and started to walk over to the fallen pizza. He had just reached down to grab it when he heard a sound that made his blood freeze.

The phone was ringing.

Face going deathly pale, Alfred straightened up and stared at it in horror. It was impossible. He had unplugged the phone... He had unplugged it! The phone continued to ring, far longer than it should have even when it was plugged in. The answering machine should have picked up by now but it didn't. Mouth going horribly dry, Alfred found his feet moving towards it rather than away as he commanded them to. What force pulled him he did not know. Perhaps grim curiosity or sheer madness. It was impossible. It was impossible-

With shaking fingers he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear, not saying a word.

"I've been waiting for you Jonathon. For such a long, long time."

Still Alfred said nothing, glued to the spot in horror.

"Please... Where did you go? I'm so lonely... Jonathon..."

Words, detached and slow as if fighting through thick honey, escaped his lips. "I'm...not Jonathon."

There was a beat of pure silence. And then the woman on the other end let out an inhuman, blood curdling scream. Alfred toppled backwards landing hard on his ass. With all his strength he threw the phone away from himself and it skittered across the floor, stopping short of the end of the hall. Still he could hear it, the voice screaming and screaming.

Trying to find purchase on the wooden floor he scrambled backwards, trying to get away. Abruptly the screaming stopped. Blood pounding in his ears, Alfred took deep, shaky breaths as he stared at the phone with eyes the size of dinner plates. Heavy silence enveloped everything and he found himself frozen for a long time. Very gingerly he sat up further. What the hell-

The phone began to ring again.

Alfred felt his flesh crawl and a bubble of hysterical laughter died in his throat. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh-

The ringing stopped, and somehow, somehow despite the distance between them Alfred could hear the voice speaking crystal clear. As if it was being whispered into his ear.

"Come home Jonathon... It's been so long... I love you... I love you... Jonathon? I love you, Jonathon. I'm cold..."

The world seemed to start fading into black and tilted precariously as Alfred fell back, head cracking hard against the wood floor as he fainted.

~.

"I'm telling you, that's exactly what happened! I swear I'm amazed I didn't piss myself! It was so fucking terrifying!"

Gilbert shook his head. "Listen to the story you've made up and tell me it doesn't sound like total scheisse."

"Fuck you! I know what happened! You believe me don't you Kiku?" Alfred turned an imploring look on the Asian boy beside him.

For a moment Kiku looked apprehensively between Alfred and the two skeptical Germanic brothers. "I...believe that you believe that truly happened."

Once Alfred worked that out in his head he pouted. Kiku had been his first friend in this town and he expected support if for nothing else than loyalty's sake! "It did happen though, I swear!"

His twin started to walk past the table with a lunch tray and Alfred called him over loudly. "Hey, hey Matthew come here for a second!"

Hesitating, Matthew sighed and did as he was bidden. "Hey Alfred."

"Mattie, tell them! Tell them it's true what I told you! I mean just tell them how you found me this morning! This sweet angel face wouldn't lie to you!"

Matthew turned somewhat red and stared down at his tray. When he had dropped by that morning to pick up his backpack Alfred had ranted on about it so long they were both almost late. "W-well... When I came home this morning I did find you passed out in the hallway. I thought you might have a concussion or something." Maybe he did even now. "A-and the phone was all across the hallway and unplugged. Um... I also found that scary movie still paused on the TV. Why did you watch it Al? You know how you get... Your imagination tends to take over and-"

"Why won't anyone believe me? I'm telling you, it wasn't because of that movie! That movie was a comedy in comparison to this! I tell you, some crazy woman's voice kept calling me Jonathon and saying she loved me and asking why I left and telling me to come home and- Oh man it's freaking me out just thinking about it! The phone rang off the hook and unplugged! I swear!"

Gilbert laughed loudly. "Yeah right, it was probably some drunk chick. Or your delusional mind, right Ludwig?"

Before his brother could respond a voice spoke up from the table next to them. "It was Josephine Carter."

Everyone froze and looked over. A boy that Alfred recognized from the senior class (remembered solely for his crazy eyebrows) sat alone at the table beside them. His almost bored gaze wandered along all of them, finally resting on Alfred. "It's kind of an honor you know."

Alfred frowned, brows furrowing. "Who is Josephine Carter?"

"She's a bit of a local legend. Honestly I wouldn't expect your or your brother to know about it as you have lived in this town a little less than a year right? But I'd expect one of the other three to have at least considered it."

Kiku gave him a perplexed frown. "I am afraid I am not familiar with Josephine Carter..."

Gilbert and Ludwig looked at each other questioningly before something seemed to spark in Ludwig's eyes. "I remember what you're talking about. It's a story that gets told until everyone hits about thirteen and they realize that's all it is. A story."

Alfred looked from Ludwig to the other boy, confused beyond reason. He hated being out of the loop. "Who? Who is she?"

The boy raised an eyebrow at Ludwig. "Shall I tell the story or do you wish to?"

Ludwig snorted, as if he found the question insulting. "I will not spread such nonsense around."

"Very well, then I will tell it. A long time ago there was a couple that lived in the old abandoned house way up on Greenstead Road-"

Gilbert suddenly interrupted. "Oh, _that _story. Pft, are you kidding me? That's so-"

The boy continued on, bright green eyes daring any of them to interrupt him again. "There was nothing particularly odd about the couple, though it's said that Josephine tended to keep to herself. She was also said to be very pretty and from a well to do family. Jonathon was her husband, a rather successful young man with a lower class background. The lucky suitor out of many who had asked for Josephine's hand in marriage and actually received it. Supposedly her family wasn't too pleased about it but once again, that's just hearsay.

"The two seemed happy enough by everyone's standards, through they were inconspicuously without child even after five years of marriage. That's when things seemed to have unraveled altogether. The depression hit around then and things got hard for the young couple. I guess Jonathon didn't do too well. One night, without any warning whatsoever, he just disappeared. Some say he couldn't take the pressure of being a failure. Others say there was actually another woman involved. No matter what the truth was, no one from this town ever heard from him again.

"Apparently it drove his poor abandoned wife to madness. Her family tried its best to help her, offered to pay all of the debts off that Jonathon had acquired and hidden from everyone. Despite their best efforts she merely brushed them off and holed up inside the house. She was convinced that Jonathon would come back to her."

As he paused his audience seemed to hold their breath. Matthew stood transfixed, Kiku frowned, Ludwig and Gilbert had that look of anticipation on their faces that people get when they know how things will end, and Alfred felt more and more uneasy.

"Time passed and Josephine became more and more strange. Hysterical almost, they say. She was completely lost in her delusion. On the one year anniversary of Jonathon's disappearance she seems to have snapped completely. Her brother went to go check on her, knowing it was sure to be a rough time for her. She did not answer when he knocked. Concerned, he broke into the house and looked everywhere. Finally the only place to look was the attic."

The boy paused again then looked up and met Alfred's eyes. "She had hanged herself from one of the beams."

A shiver passed through Alfred as a pause followed. Gilbert finally shifted impatiently. "Well, go on. We know that's not the end of it Arthur."

Arthur, so that was his name? Alfred swallowed hard, not liking where this was heading. Arthur smiled a bit. "Of course. Well, that should be the end of it...but as Gilbert said, it's not. Apparently strange things happened in the house. Disturbing things that couldn't be explained. The family refused to sell the house and they still own it, but no one has lived there since Josephine died. Eventually they couldn't even hire people to maintain the place so it's quite the mess. No one can stand to be in there long. They say they get eerie feelings.

"And of course, the coup de grâce is that since that time there has been no less than five people over the years, now six apparently, that have claimed to have received cryptic phone calls from Josephine. Always younger men, blond, blue eyes. Always she says the same things, begging for them to come home to her, saying she loves them, saying she misses them... And she calls every one of them Jonathon. The calls always come close to All Hallows' Eve. Some receive more than one phone call, but it seems to be a theme they only receive the call when they are alone and it never persists after October thirty-first has passed. Once Halloween is over they never hear from her again."

Arthur's smile seemed to attain a creepy element. "Congratulations Alfred, it seems you are Josephine's Jonathon this year."

Another tense moment passed and then Gilbert started laughing. "Oh man, I forgot how hokey that story was... Come on Alfred, you've heard it before, right? And you're pulling our leg? Good one."

But Alfred was not smiling. Not one bit. In fact his face had turned slightly green as everything connected together. "Ghost... Josephine... the woman who called... is a...a ... g-ghost?"

Arthur leaned his chin on his fist. "Indeed she is."

Alfred let out a scream that startled all of them and threw his arms around Kiku. "Aaaah! Fuck, fuck that's so scary! Noooooo a ghost! I'm haunted, I'm going to die! Oh god!"

As he began to sob Matthew hurried over and allowed his brother to glomp onto him instead of the flustered Japanese youth, soothingly rubbing his back. "H-hey it's alright Alfred, you're fine."

Matthew frowned sharply at Arthur. "I wish you hadn't told him that!"

Gilbert stared in disbelief. "What the hell? You're acting like a total wuss Al!"

Alfred continued to hold onto his brother, not saying a word and merely sniffling. Matthew sighed. "He's terrified of ghosts. Always has been. The sadist likes to scare himself with them for some reason but he really can barely handle them. And now that you have him thinking that some...some ghost woman is after him-!"

Arthur shrugged. "I am merely saying what I know based on what he's said. Don't go blaming his being a blubbering git on me."

Alfred pulled away from Matthew abruptly. "I am not a blubbering...whatever you called me! Ah but what am I gonna do? Ghost woman! Mattie you aren't leaving my side for a second, I can't be alone!"

"Oh come on Al... and you don't really need to worry, Halloween is in a couple of days anyway right?"

Kiku patted Alfred's shoulder lightly. "I will make you a talisman to ward off spirits if you like."

Alfred took his friend's hand tightly in his own. "W-would you really Kiku? You're the best!"

Ludwig tsked loudly. "I can't believe you're actually all buying into this crap. It's nothing more than a story that children like to tell each other at sleepovers to scare each other silly!"

"Ja, I seem to remember terrifying you with it for ages," Gilbert teased maliciously.

A flush crossed Ludwig's cheeks. "G-Gil-! You...You did not, I wasn't actually afraid!"

"Sure you weren't, and the sky isn't blue!" Gilbert cackled and threw an arm around his younger brother.

Once more Arthur's voice cut through the chaos. "I want to perform a séance with you Alfred."

Everyone froze and stared at him in disbelief. Alfred's mouth fell open. "S-séance? W-with me? Why?"

"I'm curious and I've always wanted to try one. People have received calls from Josephine but that's all. I want to try and contact her and it seems you're the best bet as she has already initiated first contact. What do you say?"

Tears welled up in Alfred's eyes at the mere thought of it, lower lip trembling. Matthew spoke before he had a chance to start crying. "Absolutely not! You see the kind of reaction he has and you still want to torture him with more? Stop being a jerk!"

Alfred was actually a touch impressed. It wasn't often his brother was assertive. Arthur was not to be so easily deterred though. "What, are you afraid Alfred? Besides, you might be able to put her soul to rest. Who knows?"

Alfred chewed his bottom lip, becoming agitated. He was no coward even if he was a little freaked out by ghosts, and if he could be the hero and save the day... Matthew would have none of it though. "He's not doing it! If you want to do creepy things find someone else!"

Throwing an annoyed look at Matthew, Arthur stood with his tray. "Very well. But if you change your mind let me know before Halloween. We have until then to do it. Two days. Think about it."

They all stared as he walked away. Matthew rubbed his brother's back lightly. "Who was that guy anyway? He's odd."

Kiku pressed a finger thoughtfully to his lips. "Arthur Kirkland is a fellow senior to Gilbert and I. We share some classes. Usually he's not odd at all. A bit temperamental at times but quite intelligent."

"More like a know-it-all," Gilbert muttered. "It is weird though. Never would have expected eyebrows to be into such creepy shit."

Alfred continued to stare after Arthur. "Do you...really think it's Josephine that called me?"

Matthew scowled. "No Al, I really don't. Now come on and let it go. Don't worry about it okay?"

Alfred looked up at his brother and finally nodded. "O-okay..."

And yet the story... it fit so well... A shudder went through him.

~.

It had taken forever but Matthew had finally convinced Alfred that being in the same house constituted as not leaving him by himself. There was no way he was going to sleep in his bed like they were little kids again. Sometimes Alfred could be so immature about things... Well, it was kind of nice for him to actually spend time with Matthew voluntarily. Too bad it was for such a stupid reason.

Matthew walked by the house phone and paused despite himself. He had plugged it in again but it hadn't rung all day. He was pretty sure Alfred had broken it when he threw it. Their parents were sure to be angry. Especially when he tried to tell them it was because of a ghost call. As if.

Chuckling to himself as he imagined their reactions, he started for the kitchen to grab something to drink before working on his homework. As he reached the doorway of the kitchen the familiar shriek of the phone called out through the house. Matthew inhaled sharply and turned, a growing feeling of fear bubbling up. No... he was being silly. He forced himself to laugh it off. Seemed the phone wasn't broken after all.

Walking over to it, he watched it ring for a moment. Matthew reached out and put his hand on it. Swallowing hard he reluctantly answered. "H-hello?"

"..."

He chewed his bottom lip. "I-is anyone there?"

"...Jonathon."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Th-that's not...f-funny. Who's doing this?"

"Jonathon... I miss you..."

His entire body began to tremble as he let out a small squeak. This voice... it was one he didn't recognize at all.

"Why... Why did you leave me Jonathon? Oh Jonathon... I love you so much."

Matthew screamed and dropped the phone. As he started to run from the hall he crashed right into Alfred and screamed again. Alfred gave him a panicked look. "What is it, what's wrong?"

Silence was all Matthew could manage, mouth moving uselessly. They both jumped and clung to one another tightly as they heard Josephine's voice speak clearly from the receiver on the ground.

"Jonathon... Jonathon...? I've finally found you... Jonathon."


	2. Chapter 2

Hellu~ Welcome to chapter two. Just to clarify in this story Alfred, Matthew and Ludwig are Juniors in high school, Arthur, Kiku and Gilbert are Seniors. It was just hard to work that in without it sounding awkward.

* * *

In the end Matthew did end up sleeping in Alfred's bed like they used to do when they were kids, the blankets pulled up over their heads like a shield of protection. A superstition from childhood thought to have been left behind. They clung tightly to one another, unable to sleep. From time to time the phone would ring and they would try to ignore the sound which seemed far too loud considering their distance from it. A pause of silence would follow and then would be shattered once more by the lover's lamenting call. It finally stopped as it approached dawn and neither boy could do more than fall into an uneasy doze.

Needless to say, both were quite convinced of Arthur's story before dawn had even broke.

~.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group once Matthew had shared his experience. Gilbert gave a laugh that was almost nervous. "...Come on now, aren't we taking this prank a bit far?"

"It's not a prank!" Alfred snapped irritably. "This is seriously fucking scary!"

Looking at the siblings it was hard to find any humor in their tired, strained faces. Even their body language, the way they sat close together, hands clasped tightly as if for protection spoke of an anxiety unknown to either sibling.

Ludwig gave the air a thoughtful look then spoke carefully. "Is it perhaps possible that the prank is on the two of you? Maybe a fellow schoolmate who is trying to frighten you."

Matthew quickly shook his head. "No, it was a woman's voice. Too mature to be a high schooler. I've never heard it before... A-and what Alfred described, where the phone still rang even though it was off the hook... that happened!"

"For hours!" Alfred added. "I'm telling you, we're being haunted by Josephine Carter!"

"I told you," said a cool voice behind them. The two jumped and turned their heads. Arthur approached, perhaps having been hanging back to eavesdrop on them.

Alfred clutched his chest. "D-don't just appear like that!"

Arthur took a seat at the table. "So you finally believe me? I'm hardly the kind that would go telling silly ghost stories if there wasn't something to them you know."

Alfred slammed his hand down on the table suddenly, making everyone jump again. "Hey! You lied to me! You said if I wasn't alone then Josephine wouldn't call. But Mattie was with me and he was the one that got called last night! So what's up with that huh?"

All eyes rested on Arthur, some more reluctantly than others, as he seemed to know the most about all this. He sighed in annoyance. "I only told you what I know. That has always been the pattern in the past, I never said it was guaranteed. Maybe it's because you both fit her type."

"Twins..." Kiku spoke up for the first time. "Maybe...because you are twins."

Gilbert snorted with amusement. "Stupid ghost bitch can't tell the difference?"

Arthur scowled at him and Ludwig shook his head as Alfred and Matthew looked at each other. Kiku gave them a scrutinizing glance before speaking again. "Not quite what I meant. Twins are known to share a special link with one another that is considered almost supernatural to some. Perhaps to Josephine they read as the same person and so she thinks they are both Jonathon."

Gilbert crossed his arms and looked at the two. "...So the ghost bitch can't tell them apart on a supernatural level. Same difference."

"Bruder, would you please." Ludwig rubbed his forehead, clearly embarrassed by his brother.

Still looking rather annoyed by Gilbert, Arthur seemed to think a moment then nodded. "That...would make sense. Theoretically. Better than any other reason I can think of."

Kiku pulled a messenger bag up and started rummaging through it. After a moment he pulled out two necklaces made of twine fixed to a thick piece of paper that had a few Japanese symbols on it. "Luckily I figured that Alfred would be inclined to lose a charm if I made him one so I made two. Both of you may have one."

He held them out and after a moment of hesitation Matthew and Alfred both took one. Alfred examined it as he slipped it around his neck. "Not much to it is there? Are you sure this will work? And if Matthew has my spare what will I do if I lose it?"

Kiku as always was quick with a reply that was to the point, polite, and sharp. "Tuck it into your shirt, try to be careful with it, and I will make more if you think it is necessary."

Matthew slipped it over his head and looked it over before carefully tucking it into his sweater. "Thank you Kiku..."

"Yeah, thanks Kiku! Man, can you please come spend the night at our house 'cause Mattie totally doesn't count apparently? Please? Oh my god I'll die if I hear the phone ring one more time. Better yet, I wanna spend the night at your house!" That way it definitely wouldn't be an issue.

Gilbert smacked the table. "You can come spend the night at our house. If you don't mind the dog slobber that is."

Ludwig gave him an icy look. "The dogs do not slobber. But the two of you may stay with us if it is indeed necessary. Though I still can't believe any of this."

Before further planning could be made Arthur reminded everyone of his presence. "I want to do a séance."

"Oh yeah? Then go do one. Nothing is stopping you, ya know. Have fun with the rest of the creeps." Gilbert cackled.

Kiku looked at him nervously. "I do not think something like that would be a particularly good idea."

Arthur was not listening to them. When he found nothing but stormy resistance on Matthew's face he only had eyes for Alfred. "This woman's spirit has been suffering for decades and this is the strongest reaction she's had in a long time. Maybe she can be put to rest. If nothing else she would stop calling you, wouldn't she?"

A bit grudgingly, Ludwig was forced to put in his two cents. "Look, if we are to assume that your information is overall correct and that somehow this ridiculousness is true then Josephine will leave them alone after Halloween. The most logical thing would be for them to remain with people tonight, go out on Halloween, still remaining with other people, and then the problem will have taken care of itself."

Gilbert reached over and pinched his cheek. "Isn't he so logical it makes ya want to puke sometimes?"

Kiku shook his head slowly. "In this case I think I agree with Ludwig. Meddling with spirits can lead to nothing but bad things..."

The final blow came from Matthew. "That's right, there's no way either Alfred or I are exposing ourselves to that! Go find someone else to do a séance with."

And still Arthur only looked to Alfred. "It seems all of them are too frightened. Surely you aren't afraid Alfred? Don't you want to try and give poor Josephine some peace?"

Bristling, Alfred sat up straighter. "Of course I'm not! And...I...I dunno..." Alfred liked to think of himself as a bit of a hero. "...Do you really think if I did this séance thingy it'd work? Like, she would be put to rest or something?"

"It's a possibility. She might listen to you if she thinks you're Jonathon. You can tell her to move on." Arthur smiled. "I know exactly what I'm doing so it's not like you have to worry. I've done some séances before."

Alfred chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully and Matthew frowned sharply. "Oh no, don't you even think about it Al! Seriously, it's a bad idea. Let's do what Ludwig said and just lay low until Halloween is over."

After a moment Alfred spoke slowly. "Even... if she's really freaky and scary and a ghost and all... Josephine was sort of a victim right? I mean...she was left by her husband and all she wants is to be reunited with him. It's...sad. I can't in good conscious ignore it if there's something I can do to help her. I mean...it won't be dangerous... Right Arthur?"

"Of course not. It will be just like a conversation, that's all." Some of the others at the table couldn't help but get the suspicion that Arthur looked a bit smug at his victory.

"Alfred..." Kiku started warily.

"No. If...if it isn't a big deal I can deal with a g-ghost..." Alfred quickly cleared his throat. "I don't expect anyone else to join or anything. Mattie, you can stay with that crazy Cuban guy or one of these guys if you want. I'll be alright."

Matthew frowned sharply, infinitely annoyed at Arthur's playing on his brother's naïver aspects, like his hero complex. "Alfred, you cried at least twice last night just from the phone ringing! You don't really think you can handle talking to a ghost do you? It's silly! I...I won't let you do it!" Though even he wasn't sure how he thought he could stop him.

For a moment they stared each other down. "...I'll tell mom and dad about your pot stash if you try to stop me."

Matthew blanched. "H-how did you know about...?"

A small grin came to Alfred's lips. "Because you just admitted to it."

"Ah-!"

Matthew grew sulky as Alfred turned once more to Arthur. "So when do you want to do this?"

"Tomorrow," Arthur said firmly. "Halloween should be the most powerful day to do it. For obvious reasons."

Ludwig looked from Alfred to Arthur and back to Alfred. "I can't believe you're actually going through with this nonsense! You should just leave it well enough alone and avoid it as much as possible."

"Well I can't do that." Alfred didn't like the idea of someone suffering. Besides, it'd prove he wasn't afraid.

"I'll go," Matthew said quietly.

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Alfred admittedly felt relieved to hear him say that. "Eh? Really? I thought you really didn't want to though."

Sighing softly, Matthew gave him an annoyed look. "Well someone has to control you when you fall apart. I can't...let you do it alone."

Alfred beamed at him. "That's the spirit Mattie! We can kick some serious ghost ass together!"

So much for putting the spirit to rest, Matthew thought to himself.

"Well, isn't he a good brother. No offense Luddy but if you were in the same situation there's no way I'd help ya out." Gilbert waved his hand, looking highly amused by the turn of events.

As Ludwig smacked his arm sharply Arthur laced his fingers together and offered Matthew a smile. "Splendid! It should be twice as likely to work as she seems to have taken a liking to both of you."

Kiku's soft voice suddenly broke in. "I will go as well."

Alfred brightened even more. "Cool! Man, Kiku, you can be one of the Ghost Busters! Yeaah! Team Awesome you guys!"

Kiku brushed his fingers through his hair. "Four is close to death so it might help. And perhaps I may assist with my own limited knowledge of ghosts. I will make enough charms for everyone."

Arthur was miffed at having his territory of expertise being encroached upon but was hardly going to tell him he couldn't come. Though three was a better number for these things. "Don't feel obliged to make one for me, I should be fine."

Ludwig and Gilbert seemed surprised by the sudden reluctant enthusiasm for the idea. Gilbert snorted. "Well you can bet neither of us are joining you! We're going to do something actually cool, like pick up chicks in slutty costumes."

"Charming," Arthur said flatly. "No one invited you anyway."

Gilbert flushed with indignity and Ludwig quickly put a steadying hand on his shoulder. "I cannot imagine what you hope to get out of this. Just make sure you don't do anything to get yourselves into trouble."

Alfred grinned at his concern. "Us? Naah, we'll be completely fine!"

Matthew knew perfectly well that Alfred wouldn't be even half as confident tomorrow night when they were actually going through with this. He was nervous. The thing with the phone calls had really freaked him out and the whole thing made him ill at ease. It seemed like a huge mistake but what could he do? He absolutely couldn't let Alfred go through with this by himself.

Arthur cleared his throat softly. "Well, let's make plans of when to meet shall we? Eleven thirty tomorrow night in front of the Carter house."

Alfred paled immediately. "Y-you mean that...a-abandoned house...w-where Josephine k-killed herself? Why there?"

Arthur gave him a look as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "Where else would we hold it? The place of her death is sure to yield the best results. Honestly, Alfred. I thought you weren't afraid."

"I-I'm not! I just..."

"It's decided then. Make sure to be there exactly on time. I want it to be close to midnight but I don't want to let the hour pass before we make contact or it might not work. See you then." With that Arthur got up, straightened his shirt, and walked away.

Alfred started to chew his thumbnail nervously. "I... I thought we would be doing it at his house or something..."

Matthew sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Sometimes you're so..."

Gilbert, still angry about the snub, stood abruptly. "Well I hope you guys have a fun time wasting your Saturday night not at any sweet parties or gorging yourself on candy and babes. I can't wait to hear all about it on Monday, your grand adventure of sitting in a condemned house freezing your asses off and looking like morons."

Ludwig shook his head as his brother strutted off. "Excuse his bruised ego. Though you know... I really don't think you should go through with this. If nothing else a house that old without any repairs is bound to be a safety hazard."

Kiku looked at him thoughtfully. "That story about Josephine...really did frighten you as a child, didn't it?"

Turning to fuss with his tray to hide the sudden flush of his cheeks, Ludwig barked out, "Of course it didn't! Who would be afraid of something like that?"

Alfred looked around then raised his hand. Ludwig stared at him a moment then stood up. "...You should seriously consider not going. It isn't too late. For any of you."

They all watched Ludwig walk towards his brother, who was waiting for him impatiently. Matthew finally mumbled softly, "It's _not _too late Alfred."

Alfred didn't say so out loud but he was pretty sure it had been too late since the first time the phone had rung.

~.

That night they stayed at Kiku's house and there were no phone calls asking for Jonathon. Kiku made a charm to ward off spirits for himself and courteously did as Arthur requested and didn't make him one. Though he made a 'spare' just in case.

There was a nervous buzz that surrounded them all the next day as they waited for night to descend. None of them spoke of what they were about to do. As if even uttering a single word about it would lead them to ruin. It was instead an invisible heaviness that settled over them like a fine, smothering gauze.

Though he tried to hide it, Alfred in particular was starting to freak out. Even eating a ton of candy that was meant for trick-or-treaters didn't calm his nerves. Evoking a spirit... It really did sound dangerous. But Arthur had said it would be like a conversation. Which mean he wouldn't even have to see the ghostly body right? He hoped so.

Gilbert called after it had gotten dark and the door bell had begun to call out with promises of tricks or treats, asking if they were sure they wouldn't rather ditch and go to a Halloween party instead. It was a decisive moment. When the three of them glanced at one another, no words had to be spoken to know that they had already committed themselves, no matter how reluctantly. Kiku gently declined and Alfred felt another layer of finality settle over them. This was actually going to happen.

A little after eleven they bundled up and finally set out. They would be walking. By now it was bitingly cold and windy but mercifully dry. Alfred concentrated on the crunch of the leaves beneath his feet, trying not to think about what he was about to do. The regret was starting to seep in. Bravado was fine in the warmth of the school cafeteria but here in the dark on Halloween night, shivering in the cold, it was a lot more difficult to keep up.

It was a long walk but they arrived with a few minutes to spare. It wasn't exactly a welcoming sight. The old two story house really was on the outskirts of town and the area seemed rather dead even on Halloween. The Carter house was in quite the state of disrepair, just as Arthur had said it would be. The yard was nothing but weeds, the paint peeled and faded beyond identification, all of the windows visible from the front were boarded up tight (no doubt the glass long ago smashed by bored kids). The place was bleak to say the least. It _looked _haunted.

For a long moment all of them just stared at it. Kiku was the first to walk towards it. After a moment of hesitation Matthew reached over and took his brother's hand, the other immediately squeezing tightly, and together they followed after him.

Once the three had reached the door they didn't know what to do. Arthur was nowhere in sight and all were reluctant to enter the house. They huddled together, watching the road for his arrival. The mood became decidedly antsy as eleven thirty hit.

The longer they stood there the more the tension and unease grew. Alfred grumbled softly that if this was just some kind of prank he'd beat Arthur within an inch of his life. Just as they were starting to debate on whether they should leave the door behind them creaked open. Alfred shrieked and hugged Matthew tightly as they whirled around at the sound.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at them. "Oh good, you're here. Sorry for the wait, I was getting things ready. Come in."

He stood back and opened the door wider for them to enter. They hesitated. Alfred, flustered by his embarrassing outburst forced himself to go in first, stopping short a few feet in. Kiku and Matthew followed suit, crowding close together. Arthur closed the door, a small lantern he held in his hand the only illumination. "Do watch where you step. The house was well built and sturdy enough so you don't have to worry about breaking through the floor. There is some random rubbish here and there though and you don't want to trip."

"Ah, one moment please." Kiku opened the small bag he had brought with him and pulled out a flashlight, turning it on. "This should help."

Arthur seemed irritated by it, probably because it ruined the ambiance, but merely nodded. It was a silent given that Arthur was now the leader of their small group. The one who knew what he was doing and the assumed expert on the situation. He headed the front of the group, the twins following nearly side by side with Alfred clutching at Matthew, and Kiku bringing up the rear with his flashlight to help light the way.

While the house might have been sturdy it certainly creaked a lot as they walked through it, to an alarming degree on the staircase. The hairs on the back of Alfred's neck stood on end as they made their way to the second floor. It was freezing in here, practically a meat locker, and a thick layer of dust quickly coated their nose and the inside of their mouths. Here and there were pieces of broken furniture and evidence of past intruders.

Matthew looked around, trying to see past the desolate shadows cast by their lights. "Wh-where are we going exactly, Arthur?"

Arthur paused and looked back at them, silent for a moment. "...The attic of course."

A small whimper escaped Alfred. "B-but isn't that...that where Josephine k-k-kill-?"

"Yes, that is where she hanged herself. The place of death should be a particularly effective location to try and contact her. Now hurry up, I want to get this started before midnight."

Alfred froze, squeezing Matthew hard enough that it was starting to hurt. "C-can't we...can't we do it...anywhere else? N-not that I'm s-scared or anything I'm just... er..."

Kiku placed a soothing hand on his back. "Do not worry Alfred, that charm should keep you safe. You are in no danger."

Alfred swallowed hard and reached up, pulling it out of his shirt to clutch it. He really hoped it worked. Arthur tsked in annoyance and Alfred forced himself to continue forward. Matthew tried to say that they could leave, that there was still time to stop this here and now, but his words seemed to get trapped in his throat.

Arthur opened a door and started up another staircase. Their footsteps sounded too loud in the confined corridor. They all noticed a dim glow ahead and when they reached the top they saw that there was a ring of candles in the middle of the room, all evenly spaced out from one another. Alfred couldn't help but notice they were settled under one specific beam and a shiver went down his spine.

"Over here then. We'll sit in a circle where the candles indicate. Then I'll try to invoke Josephine's spirit. All I need is for everyone to cooperate, the whole thing should be fairly painless."

Kiku turned off his flashlight and put it away. "I wonder, would you like a protective charm Arthur? It could not hurt."

"No thank you, that is not necessary. I know what I'm doing, there should be no need for such things." Arthur walked over to the circle and picked up a book, flipping through it for a moment. It hardly installed confidence in Matthew who thought Kiku might have a better idea of how to take precautions against ghosts. Kiku was silent on the matter, putting his bag aside.

Alfred only moved closer to the circle as Matthew and Kiku wandered over to it. His heart was starting to race. This had been such a bad idea. The only thing keeping him together was telling himself that this was to help Josephine. His eyes fluttered down to the circle and he noticed an old black and white photo.

He started to reach down and Arthur's voice snapped testily, "You may look at it so long as you put it back exactly where it was."

Frowning slightly, Alfred carefully maneuvered around the candles and picked it up. "Is this...them?"

Arthur nodded once in a distracted manner and Alfred stepped back, holding the picture so Kiku and Matthew could see. It was of a young couple. Jonathon, undoubtedly blond and blue-eyed beneath the black and white, looked cheerful and buzzing with energy even in the photo. Neither Alfred or Matthew thought he looked too much like them, but there was undeniably a similarity in structure and build. He had his arm around a delicate looking woman who had to be Josephine. She was indeed quite pretty, her long hair flowing down one shoulder as she smiled shyly at the camera.

Alfred frowned slightly. "Hey...does Josephine look kinda... I dunno, familiar to you?"

Matthew sighed. "Al, please stop trying to dramatize this by thinking you've seen her before."

"No... I mean it's not like I think I've seen her or anything. There's just something about her that looks really familiar. I just can't put my finger on... never mind." There really was something about her that looked familiar though.

Arthur slammed his book shut and put it down, taking a seat on the ground. "Please put that back, I'm ready to begin. I think it would be best if Alfred and Matthew were on opposite ends of the circle from one another."

For a moment they looked at each other uncertainly. Finally Kiku sank down to his knees across from Arthur. Matthew tried to smile encouragingly. "I-it'll be okay Al."

Alfred nodded, fear clouding his eyes. They sat across from one another, Alfred putting the photo back in the center of the circle.

"Now, everyone take each other's hands if you will." Arthur reached out for Matthew's and Alfred's hands. They slowly reached out and took his hands, then joined hands with Kiku. Alfred didn't know about everyone else but he was starting to feel slightly sick. "I shall begin now. Please refrain from speaking until after I've tried making contact. And no screaming, if you will."

Alfred huffed but remained quiet. Arthur took a deep breath, eyes closing. "Josephine Carter, we respectfully ask that you honor us with your presence this evening. We wish to speak to you, please, give us a sign that you are here."

There was not even so much as the flicker of a candle. Alfred looked at everyone nervously. Kiku stared steadfastly at Arthur, expression calm. Matthew looked at him uncertainly then to Arthur, then back.

Arthur's eyes remained closed, his expression unperturbed. After a tense moment Arthur spoke again. "Josephine Carter, we respectfully ask that you honor us with your presence this evening. We wish to speak to you, please, give us a sign that you are here."

Still there was nothing. Just uneasy silence.

Arthur frowned and opened his eyes. "...Alfred and Matthew, would both of you repeat what I have said? At the same time, please."

Alfred and Matthew looked at each other, unspoken things passing between them before they both nodded and began to speak. Alfred's voice shook and Matthew's was barely above a whisper as they repeated the words. "Josephine Carter, we respectfully ask that you honor us with your presence this evening. We wish to speak to you, please, give us a sign that you are here."

The candles flickered violently and a thrill of sorts went through all of them. Arthur licked his lips. "Again, one more time!"

But Alfred's voice was frozen and Matthew's eyes were growing large. "I...I don't think w-we should be doing this Arthur..."

"Don't be ridiculous, just invoke her one more ti-"

Arthur didn't get the chance to finish the sentence. There was a loud banging sound that made all of them jump. More followed, as if every door in the entire house was opening and then closing again sharply.

Kiku looked at Arthur, his usually blank face reflecting panic. "Can you stop it?"

Arthur stared back, looking quite pale. "It's... I mean...It's never actually worked before."

The door to the attic finally slammed and there was something like rapid footsteps stomping up the stairs.

Alfred tried to back up, the only thing keeping him in place being Kiku's and Arthur's hands. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh-"

A scream filled the room and the candles flared up and wavered sporadically. Four sets of eyes were drawn up suddenly as they became aware of something swinging above them. Cold chills went down their spines as they saw it was Josephine's body swaying back and forth from an old rope. Blond hair covered most of her face, blue from asphyxiation. And then the candles went out, leaving them in complete darkness.

Alfred let out a scream and tore his hands free from Kiku and Arthur, backing up violently to get away. There was the sound of rustling and some more banging, Alfred's panicked cries puncturing the air over and over again then tapering off into sobs.

A moment later there was a single beam of light as Kiku finally found his flashlight. It swept first around the room, glancing at each of their faces. Matthew was pale and had also backed away from the circle, tears standing in his eyes. Arthur was squinting intently at the place where Josephine's body had been but turned down to Kiku as the light was flashed on him. Finally he located Alfred, sobbing into his knees. Once he had everyone accounted for Kiku slowly allowed the flashlight to travel to the beam. There was nothing there.

Kiku frowned thoughtfully. "...Arthur, you gave us the impression you had a grasp on the situation. Yet you say this is the first time this has ever worked for you?"

Arthur cleared his throat. "Well... I know the basic idea behind..."

Matthew sat up, moving closer to the light. "Y-you said... it would just be like a conversation! You said you knew what you were doing! What...the hell did we do? What did we just do?"

Two different songs began to play, clashing and overly loud in the sudden silence. Alfred cried out again until he realized it was from his pocket. With shaking fingers he dug out his cellphone, Matthew pulling his own out on the other side of the room. They looked at them. The caller ID simply said 'No Name'.

Neither of them answered, simply staring. Alfred tried pressing 'end' but the phone kept ringing no matter how many times he hit it. He dropped it and put his hands over his ears, close to hyperventilating.

A moment later the phones both picked up on their own, the same voice as before speaking with an echo effect through what sounded vaguely like static, "You've finally come home... Jonathon..."

* * *

**AN: **Kiku's reference to four being close to death comes from the Japanese word for four which sounds like "shi" which is the same pronunciation as death.

Also the séance is not quite accurate to how one would probably be performed. I've never been part of one but I looked it up. First of all you would usually use a table. I just went with the candles representing the shape of a table. Three and numbers divisible for three are supposed to work well in séances whether it be number of people or candles used. I just sort of went with a ceremony that is vaguely similar.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi~ Sorry about how short this chapter is, school is pretty rough right now...

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A whimper escaped Alfred and he kicked his phone away. Weary of his own phone, Matthew set it on the ground and pushed it away from himself. Neither wanted anything to do with the disembodied voice.

"Jonathon? Why won't... why won't you answer me? I'm so happy... I've waited such a long..."

"Fuck! Fuck, why won't she stop? Make her stop Arthur!" Alfred gave Arthur a distressed look, begging him with his eyes to kill the voice.

Matthew started gesturing shakily. "A-Alfred... Alfred get over here. Come over here closer to us." He didn't like that Alfred was so isolated from the group, especially with Josephine's voice continuing its plea for attention. "Come to me."

Wiping at his tear stained face, Alfred forced himself towards his brother. He looked wearily at the beam above their heads, giving it a wide berth. Once he had reached Matthew he collapsed against him, fiercely hugging his neck. "Oh God Matthew, I want to go h-home!"

Matthew began to rub his back soothingly, trying to force back his own fear. "Shhh, i-it'll be okay Al, r-right Arthur?"

Kiku focused the flashlight on Arthur once more, cautiously moving towards him. "There is a way you can stop this, isn't there?"

Arthur chewed on his lower lip, looking concerned but not nearly half as frightened as the rest. "...I can see what I can do. Let me have that light so I can properly consult my book."

"Jonathon? ...Why can't I reach you Jonathon...?"

Giving the nearest cellphone a scrutinizing look, Kiku walked slowly over to Arthur, crouching by his side. "...Arthur, perhaps you would consider wearing that protective charm now?"

He merely waved a dismissive hand before snatching the flashlight. "No need, I'll figure this out in a moment, just..."

Arthur began to read and an uneasy silence overcame the room. Even Josephine's voice had ceased for the moment. There were suddenly more bumping sounds across the room, becoming increasingly agitated. The floor groaned severely beneath Alfred and Matthew and they both cried out. It stopped and the four of them froze, tense and waiting to see what would happen.

The phones came back to life with Josephine's voice, which no longer sounded dreamy so much as hostile. "Jonathon... Jonathon why are you doing this to me? Why won't you come to me now that you are home? Jonathon... Beloved... Why can't I touch you?"

Alfred hugged Matthew so tightly it hurt. "Make it stop, make it stop, just make her stop!"

"Jonathon..." A loud bang like something violently hitting the wall startled all of them. "Answer me Jonathon!" Another bang that seemed to shake the very room they sat in. "Stop keeping me away!"

As Alfred began to wail again Kiku tried to read over Arthur's shoulder as he rapidly flipped through pages. He lowered his voice and spoke to Arthur softly, "She says they are keeping her away... What do you think she means?"

Arthur licked his thumb to separate two pages that stuck together stubbornly. He could feel the mounting pressure to do something. "As much as I hate to acknowledge it, I believe your protective charms are acting as a barrier between Josephine and her perceived Jonathons."

A worried frown twitched across Kiku's lips. "...Do you think that means without them she would actually be capable of making contact with us?"

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no reason to assume that. She's a ghost. The 'bump in the night' bit is quite convincing, as was her hanging illusion, but they are not uncommon with ghosts. Actually being able to make contact with the physical realm-"

"Arthur, I know perhaps there is a cultural difference in beliefs on ghosts but I grew up with stories of yūrei, spirits not properly put to rest after death. If Josephine is anything like the onryō, which are vengeful yūrei, she could do real harm."

Frustrated by Kiku's continuous need to add in his own opinions on the matter, Arthur snapped at him, "She isn't a vengeful ghost, she just wants her husband! I have this under control, I'll figure out how to make her go away! Now would you just-"

There was another loud bang from above and Kiku's flashlight began to flicker. The sound of static from the cellphones became overly loud, intermixing with something similar to a shriek of rage. A strong force yanked the book from Arthur's hands and he gave a startled gasp. It settled in the middle of the floor, pages turning rapidly before they began to shred before their eyes. It abruptly stopped.

A couple of tense minutes passed in shocked silence. Swallowing hard, Arthur tentatively made a move towards the ruined book. Kiku reached out to stop him as Alfred and Matthew watched on with twin looks of horror. "Arthur don't-!"

As Arthur touched the book he suddenly found himself yanked violently off his feet, hitting the ground hard and staring at the ceiling in a dazed state. Kiku started to walk over. "Are you alright Ar-?"

The words were cut off as Arthur was quickly dragged across the floor. He cried out, scrambling to grab onto something. He managed to catch a hold of the door frame at the top of the staircase. He looked behind him, a chill running down his spine. A small, pale hand was clenched around his ankle, fading into nothingness. He quickly looked away, breath catching as he held on tighter.

Matthew and Alfred had finally jumped to their feet. "What the hell is going on?"

Kiku was already on his way over to Arthur. "We have to grab him!"

Matthew timidly started forward and seemed to gather a small burst of courage as he moved to help. Alfred stared, wide eyed and frozen to the spot. Arthur winced as the pressure increased, the bones in his arms feeling like they might pull from their sockets. The abandoned cellphones began to shriek with Josephine's frustration.

Kiku fell heavily to his knees and reached out to grab Arthur once he got closer. Arthur released the wooden frame long enough to grasp at the offered hand when there was an abrupt tug and his grip was lost. He gasped loudly, using his arms to try and protect himself as he was roughly dragged down the stairs, sharp corners banging into his body. This was bad, really bad, and panic was setting in.

Arthur clawed at the ground as he was dragged down the hallway towards a small stretch of banister before the main stairway began. Josephine headed right towards it with alarming speed. The wooden beams cracked and they quickly gave as Arthur's weight was thrown against them. Crying out, Arthur scrambled to grab onto one, lucky enough to get one that held. The split wood dug into the skin of his palm as he held on for dear life, the grip around his ankle not letting up.

"P-please, oh god, please Josephine," he began to mutter in a panic, "M-my name is K-Kirkland. Arthur Kirkland!"

There was a pause and then the grip on his ankle was released. He gasped, trying to strengthen his grip as his own dead weight desperately attempted to pull him down. Trying to keep calm he managed to grab another half-broken pole from the banister, distributing his weight more evenly. Gritting his teeth, he tried to pull himself up but it hurt too much from the strain that had already been put on his arms earlier. All he could do was hold on and pray as he dangled precariously above the first floor.

Just as his strength was about to give out completely he felt hands on him and the next thing he knew he was being hauled up by a very shaken Alfred and Matthew. He let out a relieved sigh as he took a few shaky breathes, just glad to still be alive.

When he looked up he was met with Kiku's deadpan stare. "She seems rather hostile to me."

Arthur didn't even bother retorting. It seemed he had been wrong and it was proving to be a potentially fatal error in judgment. He stood, not sure for a moment if his knees were going to buckle beneath him. His ankle hurt and he couldn't put too much weight on it.

Alfred suddenly lurched to his feet and grabbed Arthur's collar, his hands shaking violently. "Wh-what the hell? What the hell, this isn't...this isn't at all like you said it was going to be! What the hell!"

Off to the side there was suddenly a very loud bang. They all jumped, Alfred letting out a small scream. It had been the door across from them. All eyes were on the doorknob as it began to rattle sporadically before stopping. The banging came again, harder that time, and then came in frequent intervals. As if something were ramming against it. Kiku and Matthew took a few steps away.

"Al, come on move," Matthew hissed at his brother.

But Alfred was frozen to the spot. Arthur tried to rip himself from the other's grip. "Don't stand there like a bloody idiot! Move!"

The door suddenly opened and something large was hurtling towards them. Alfred released Arthur and put his hands out defensively even as he closed his eyes and cried out. His arms struck against something solid and an unpleasant chill went through him. Oh god, the ghost, Josephine could somehow touch him!

As he began to pummel at the phantom he was grabbed violently by the wrists. Alfred began to struggle frantically but couldn't get away. Oh god he was going to die, he was going to- "Cut it out!"

Alfred opened his eyes in surprise and looked up. It was Ludwig! A bit hard to make out in the dark but definitely him. "Wh-wha?"

Gilbert leaned against the door frame as the others looked on in equal shock. Kiku was the first to recover. "I thought you were not coming. What are you doing here?"

Ludwig grumbled angrily as he released Alfred and shot a glare at Gilbert. "This idiot thought it would be funny to scare you and forced me to come."

Gilbert grinned. "That's right. My awesome, brilliant mind concocted a brilliant prank! I called earlier to confirm you were still going through with your lame plan, then I convinced Ludwig he had to come with me. Never underestimate the power of good blackmail material! We came here before you arrived and were waiting in that room to make our move. We were just about to make you all look like total fools when weird shit started happening."

The grin disappeared from Gilbert's face, replaced by a frown. "All of the doors started slamming open and shut. We could hear it happening all down the hallway, too. All of a sudden the door closed completely and we couldn't get it open. And then there were some weird sounds from upstairs. Like banging and what sounded like a woman screaming."

A few eyes strayed towards Alfred and his cheeks flushed. "Sh-shut up, it was scary! And...And some of it was a woman!"

Kiku ignored him for that moment. "Go on."

"At first we kinda talked about what we should do. When we heard voices we decided to just bust out and Ludwig threw his weight right into it." Gilbert walked over and patted his brother's arm. "Honestly we should have done it to begin with but we were sort of freaked out. Shoulda seen Luddy, all terrified, poor baby."

"I was not any worse than you!" Ludwig snapped impatiently.

"Whatever you say. There's not much more to it than that. So can any of you tell me what the hell is going on exactly?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow at them.

Despite being brushed off earlier, Alfred was quick to answer. "It's a ghost! Josephine man! It was so fucking scary! Arthur set up some kind of devil ritual and brought Josephine's spirit back from the dead! Like, her dead body was hanging from one of the beams for a second and I thought I was going to die from fear right then!"

Arthur glared at him. "I did no such thing! First of all, it was not a 'devil ritual'. Secondly, Josephine's spirit was invoked, she wasn't brought back from the dead. Thirdly, if you want to get into details it was you and your brother who summoned Josephine, not me."

"Because you told us to!" Alfred practically shrieked, close to hysterics.

"Enough!" Ludwig snapped. "You cannot expect us to buy this garbage! Ghosts do not exist! They are not summoned or evoked because they do not exist!"

The door suddenly slammed loudly behind them and they all jumped. Alfred looked grimly victorious. "Y-you see th-that? That's her! She doesn't like being trash talked. She nearly _killed _Arthur just a moment ago because of something he said! Dragged him all the way down from the attic and almost threw him to his death there!"

The German siblings spared a long glance at the broken banister and then Arthur who looked back coolly. Even Ludwig had a hard time thinking of something to say to that.

Kiku had a concerned expression on his face and finally broke in. "I am afraid we have run into a serious problem. The charms seem to work against deflecting Josephine but there are only four of them and now there are six of us. Obviously as Alfred and Matthew are Josephine's targets they should remain wearing them. As I made them I am afraid I will choose to be selfish and keep one for myself. I humbly apologize. Only one other remains. I am going to go retrieve it from the attic. You should decide who will get it by the time I return."

Alfred gave him an incredulous look. "You're seriously going back up there yourself?"

Kiku pushed the flashlight into Alfred's hand, knowing his spectrophobic friend would need it as a comfort more than he would to see. "I do not see why not. As I'm protected nothing will happen to me."

Matthew spoke up again timidly. "A-are you sure you don't want one of us to go with you?"

"Yes. I do not think either you or Alfred should return there. It gives me a bad feeling. No one else has a charm and is thus not safe. It should not take me long."

Without further room for protest Kiku walked off, melting into the shadows. The creak of the attic stairs was the only audible sound of his presence. An eerie silence settled over them then was shattered by Arthur. "One of you may have the charm, I don't think I'll be needing it."

Alfred gaped at him, clutching the flashlight close. "How can you say that when she almost killed you?"

Arthur looked down at his palm and started pulling slivers out in the dim light. "Trust me, I think I'll be fine. I just have to be careful with what I say. Something I'd advise all of you to do."

Ludwig glanced at everyone in the group. "I can't believe you're still acting like this nonsense could possibly be-"

"I dibs it!" Gilbert interjected loudly. "Nonsense or not, I'm not getting fucked up by a poltergeist. Sucks for you two!"

Ludwig stuttered, in a state of disbelief at how quickly his brother swallowed the story. "Honestly Gil-!"

Alfred suddenly grabbed onto Matthew's arm. "P-poltergeist? Aren't those like, worst than ghosts?"

"Oh definitely," Gilbert said with a smirk. "Gonna start shrieking like a girl again?"

Alfred glared at him but a small whimper still escaped. "Why did we do this Mattie? We're going to die!"

Matthew couldn't help but be slightly annoyed by Alfred. "It was you who decided you had to do this, I didn't want to at all!"

"Would you stop your bickering? It's a little late to play the 'I didn't want to do this' game. It's pretty well decided, isn't it?" Arthur gave them hard looks then returned to picking slivers from his hands.

All four of them were privately tempted to tell him that it was in fact his idea to begin with but didn't bother. Instead they waited uneasily for Kiku to return, trying to ignore the occasional creak and the feeling of being watched.

* * *

Types of Specters:

Ghosts: The visible disembodied soul of a dead person.

Yūrei: From Japanese lore. Spirits not properly put to rest after death and that have died abruptly or in a horrible manner (i.e. murder or suicide), or that are influenced by powerful emotions after death (i.e. jealousy, hatred, sorrow).

Onryō: From Japanese folklore. Spirits that return to the physical world in order to seek vengeance.

Poltergeist: A ghost that manifests itself by noises, rapping on the walls/ceiling/floor, and the creation of disorder (i.e. throwing objects). A word from German influence.


	4. Chapter 4

Hurray, finally got another chapter for this~ Been wanting to work on it for a while. Finals are done so I have a small break~

The lyrics in this chapter (and which will show up probably a couple more times) are from a song called The Dove which was popular in England and the U.S. in the early 1900s. It's a pretty song, though the lyrics I took were from more than one version.

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Gilbert began to fidget restlessly. He wasn't afraid, not like he knew Ludwig secretly was and not like Matthew and Alfred definitely were. He was too arrogant. He was also impatient. "When is Kiku getting back? He's taking forever."

Arthur finally seemed to have either gotten all the splinters out or given up on the task. His look of annoyance couldn't be more clear. "It hasn't even been that long. Just relax."

Alfred let out a hysterical laugh. "How is anyone supposed to relax in a haunted house? Especially when a ghost is after us!"

A slow smirk came to Gilbert's lips. "I thought she was just after the two of you."

Matthew glared at Gilbert and rubbed his brother's back when he whimpered. "Just shut up Gilbert! You're making it worse!"

Ludwig sighed softly. His brother always had to escalate tension, even in a situation like this. "Brother, just wait. I'm sure-" He suddenly froze, eyes jumping back to the space where Kiku had disappeared. "Kiku?"

There was the sound of footsteps, creaking, the soft hiss of static, and then Kiku appeared in the soft glow of the flashlight. "Yes, it's me. Sorry for taking so long."

He held out the fourth protection charm and Gilbert quickly snatched it from his hand, throwing it around his neck. "Awesome! So now I'm pretty much safe right?"

"Mm," was Kiku's only response. He turned to Matthew and Alfred, holding out their cellphones. They crackled with white noise and the two shrank away from them. "I think it would be useful for the two of you to have these. I tried making a call but it would not go through. Until we get out it may serve as a way for us to know what Josephine is up to."

Matthew gave them a wary look. "Do we have to hold onto them?"

Arthur spoke again. "It would make sense, as you are the ones she's interested in communicating with."

Alfred whimpered again as Matthew nodded grimly. He took both of them and only with much soft encouraging would Alfred take his. There was an uneasy moment and the six of them stared at one another.

Ludwig finally cleared his throat. "This is ridiculous! Let's get out of here. In an hour we'll all be talking about how idiotic this whole thing was."

He grabbed the flashlight from Alfred's trembling hands and took the lead. Gilbert followed, snickering softly. Kiku encouraged Alfred and Matthew to go next, the two clinging to one another. Kiku and Arthur followed after that. Their combined weight made the stairs groan alarmingly loud. With more confidence than he actually felt, Ludwig strode to the front door and grabbed the handle, turning it sharply. It didn't budge. He frowned severely and shoved the flashlight into Gilbert's hands, tugging at it until the veins stood out in his arms. He kicked it, anger pushing down the feeling of panic. "What the hell is wrong with this door!"

Alfred's and Matthew's cellphones crackled loudly and then Josephine's voice began again. Her soft voice was singing mournfully, "_Oh, yonder do sit, a little turtle dove, He do sit on yonder high tree..._"

The twins jumped. Ludwig stiffened then tried to ignore it, now trying to press into the door like he had upstairs. It was made of a much harder wood and even after all this time of neglect held firmly.

"_He's a making a moan for the loss of his love. As I will do for thee, my dear, As I will do for thee..._"

Alfred whimpered softly and looked from Kiku to Arthur as combined they were the ones who seemed to have some understanding of what was going on. "Why is she singing?"

Gilbert cut in before either could answer. "Who cares why she's doing it, just tell her to shut up! Tell that bitch we aren't interested in hearing any show tunes."

The cellphones went abruptly silent and there was a sudden tension in the air. Arthur raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say things like that. She's a bit temperamental. And that was hardly a show tune."

"Look, just because _you _almost died doesn't mean I have anything to worry about. I got the protection thing! And if I want to call this ghost a stupid bitch, which she is, then I shall gladly do so! Even if it isn't a show tune!"

Ludwig turned abruptly, patience thoroughly gone, to tell him to kindly shut up himself. His eyes widened as he noticed a broken chair sailing through the air right for his brother. Taking only a fraction of a second to think he grabbed Gilbert's shoulder and pulled him out of the way just as it went sailing past where his head had been.

Gilbert grabbed onto his brother, nearly jumping into his arms as the chair clattered against the floor. "What the hell!"

Alfred hugged Matthew so hard he thought he would choke him. "Oh God, oh God, oh God!"

Matthew tightened his grip around Alfred, just as frightened. "Oh please no..."

Arthur grumbled, "Oh, look what you've done now, you git."

Before Gilbert could recover enough to come up with a retort the cellphones crackled to life with overly loud static. There was a loud groan and multiple objects shuddered then rose up into the air: broken furniture, abandoned objects, dusty books, broken glass, sharp splinters of wood. There was a moment of silence and then a heavy desk drawer went hurtling towards them.

They all cried out or gasped. Ludwig threw himself and his brother to the floor, the flashlight going out as it hit the ground. The desk drawer crashed loudly as it smashed against the floor. A sharp wooden board sailed through the air and nearly hit Kiku, who felt it brush past his cheek as he fell to the ground as well. Alfred was yelling, the words running together into something unintelligible. More objects were flung towards the group, breaking them up as they tried to dodge in a panic, almost blind in the dark. Someone cried out and the feeling of panic intensified—Who had it been, were they hurt, and if so how badly?

Somewhere in the mix Alfred found himself separated from Matthew and blindly groped for him. Something loud banged in front of him and the next thing he knew a grandfather clock was advancing towards him. He scrambled to his feet, struggling to get away. He felt it come down hard on the ground nearly at his heels and ran faster, his heart pounding so hard he thought it would burst, tears running silently down his cheeks. He fell hard as he hit the stairs, knees stinging sharply. He thought he heard someone calling his name but couldn't respond, the clock coming down close behind him again. He all but crawled up the stairs, breath ragged. Every time it made contact there was the broken sound of chiming. He found his way to the top of the stairs, the clock still pursuing him with vicious persistence. _No, please no, oh god no, please! _

The clock suddenly moved in sharply on Alfred's right and he changed direction, nearly falling again. he barely got to his feet then threw himself into the first available room. The door slammed loudly behind him and then all went quiet for Alfred.

Downstairs things were still banging around so loudly one could barely think, everyone doing their best to get out of the way in the dark. Arthur's voice cut through the chaos. "Matthew or Alfred! One of you try talking to her before we end up a bloody mess!"

Matthew, still trying to figure out where Alfred had gotten to, reached for his cellphone, tears prominent in the corners of his eyes. He flipped it open and spoke into the chaotic noise that was erupting from it. "J-Josephine, please stop, Josephine!"

There was a pause and then all of the objects fell to the floor with a clatter. The crackle of the cellphone eased and Josephine spoke. "Oh Jonathon... Please, beloved. I don't want to make this harder than it has to be... Please Jonathon, won't you please come to me? I miss you... I just miss you so much."

There was soft weeping and then the sound ceased altogether. Silence hung heavily, accompanied by the sound of all of them panting. A moment later the flashlight was turned on, held by a very ruffled Ludwig. "I-is everyone alright? I want to hear from all of you!"

Gilbert groaned and sat up, still close to Ludwig's side. "That crazy–!"

"Are you fine or not, brother?"

"...Ja, ja, fine enough."

Arthur spoke next and Ludwig located him with the light a few feet away. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a few more slivers."

When Kiku spoke his voice was strained. "I...I am here. Something hit my arm but I think I am alright."

Ludwig quickly located him with the flashlight. He was clutching his upper arm, face looking more pale than usual. "Come over here and I'll take a closer look at you. What about you, Matthew?"

Matthew's voice was watery. "I-I'm fine, too. Nothing hit me. B-but I lost Alfred. Alfred? Alfred where are you?"

There was silence and a layer of unease was added. Ludwig began to sweep the flashlight along the room, searching for Alfred's body among the rubbish. "Alfred?"

Matthew felt a cold sort of hysteria come over him and he stood up. "Alfred!"

Loud banging from upstairs made them all jump, and then Alfred's muffled voice yelling, "Help!"

Barely able to see farther than the small flashlight provided, Matthew all but sprinted up the stairs, nearly tripping as he crossed into darkness. "I'm coming, Al! Just hold on, I'm coming!"

The rest stood. Ludwig was torn for a moment, trying to keep calm even in this situation. Which was more critical, checking on Kiku or Alfred? Both, do both at once. In a no-nonsense fashion, truly admirable considering the intensity of panic he was pushing down, Ludwig hurried over to Kiku. "Come on, let me see your arm, we'll walk as I look at it."

Gilbert hurled himself up the stairs, eager to see what was going on up there. Arthur walked briskly a few paces before Ludwig and Kiku but still remaining in the light.

Matthew stood at the door that Alfred was banging on, the grandfather clock now leaned precariously on the wall beside it. "Al? Alfred are you okay?"

"Oh God, Mattie, please get me out! Help me, please!" The thin panic was painfully audible in his voice.

Matthew pressed his cheek to the door, hands flat against the surface. "I'm here, it's going to be alright, we'll get you out! I promise, I promise. You'll be just f-fine."

On the other side of the door Alfred mirrored Matthew's gesture, fingers raking against the wood. He sobbed softly. "Please Mattie, I'm so scared! Please?"

Gilbert arrived at the door. "Oi, Al, what the hell did you go and get yourself stuck in a room for?"

Matthew turned his head, practically hissing at him. "This is your fault! If you hadn't gone and insulted Josephine this never would have happened!"

Ludwig's voice cut in sharply, still trying to keep order. "Stop it, both of you! We have one person injured and another stuck! We don't have time to argue. Alfred, you are absolutely sure the door won't open?"

Alfred sniffled softly. "I-I tried, it won't!"

"Will you try again, just in case?"

The doorknob rattled but refused to turn properly and Alfred groaned.

Gilbert hummed. "Must be like earlier. Think you can bust the door open again?"

Ludwig walked up to the door and frowned. "The problem is these doors open outwards. It was one thing when I was opening it from the inside. It would be much harder to open it from the opposite way. I suppose Alfred could try breaking it open."

Arthur tsked behind them. "He might hurt himself. It would be better to find some sort of tool to get him out. We need to look for another way out anyway. I don't know if any of you noticed but quite a few of those objects that almost hit us earlier ended up stacked in front of the door down there. If we find something like a crowbar for the door, we could probably use it to get some of the boards off the windows too. Worth a shot anyway."

Alfred's voice came through, desperate and panicked. "You're going to leave me here by myself?"

Matthew was quick to reassure him. "Of course not, I'll stay with you."

"No," Arthur interjected sharply. "Someone will stay with you but it should either be Gilbert or Ludwig."

"Arthur," Kiku began.

Arthur walked over to Kiku and spoke against his ear in as soft a murmur as he could manage. "It's not a good idea to have these two alone and vulnerable together if Josephine is after them. Matthew should go with the search party. So should you, as you've been injured. If we manage to find a way out then the two of you are the ones who need to get out the most. I've... I've scouted the house so I know my way around, so it only makes sense I go. Ludwig and Gilbert are both uninjured and don't particularly know where to look. One or both of them can stay with Alfred."

Kiku listened to this and saw the truth in it. He didn't necessarily _like _it but he was sensible. However, out of the two Bieldschmidt brothers, Ludwig was definitely a more reliable guardian. "Mm, Ludwig, you should stay with Alfred while the rest of us search for a way to get him out."

Ludwig stiffened then nodded. "If you think that's for the best."

Gilbert raised his eyebrows. "What about me? Oh I get it, you've decided you need my awesomeness too much to have me stay behind!"

No one felt like telling him that he couldn't be more wrong. Matthew didn't like it, though. "No, I should stay with him!"

Alfred spoke, his voice wavering slightly as he gathered up what scraps remained of his bravery. "N-no, it's alright Mattie. If they think you should go... Ol' Ludwig can watch me j-just fine. You guys should hurry though. I don't like being in here by myself, okay?"

Matthew opened his mouth to protest then closed it for a moment. He finally nodded. "Right... I- I promise we'll be right back, okay? Really soon. So fast you... you'll hardly notice, eh?"

"Right... I trust you guys. Just don't g-get hurt, alright?"

"We'll be safe, promise."

Gilbert elbowed Ludwig. "Sure you don't need your big brother to stay with you and keep you safe and sound from the ghosty whosty?"

Ludwig glowered at him. "Of course not! Admittedly this has become rather odd but I have complete faith that...that there's some logical reason at the heart of this. I'll be fine, so you four just hurry up and get back as soon as possible. I'll stay with Alfred."

Gilbert snorted. "Suit yourself. Okay, let's get going!"

Kiku frowned softly at the flashlight. "The only problem is there is only one light source between us and I am sorry to say we will need it to search for things."

Ludwig was quick to hand it over to Arthur. Perhaps some of it was to save a certain amount of bravado but he kept telling himself there was nothing to be afraid of. "My eyes will adjust."

"Are you sure you don't want Gilbert to stay with you?" Matthew asked, but by the look on his face it was hard to determine if it was for Ludwig's sake or because he was still annoyed at the other.

"I will be fine." Ludwig's stance was becoming more and more defensive. Gilbert couldn't help but smirk a bit.

Kiku pursed his lips uncertainly. "Perhaps Gilbert should at least hand over the necklace to you."

Gilbert clutched at it tightly. "Hey! That's not fair, I dibsed it!"

Before anyone could argue what an idiot he was being, Ludwig spoke again. "I think he needs it more than I do. He has hardly endeared himself to...the presence in the house. If you wish to believe that is what it is. Just go and hurry back and there will be nothing to worry about."

There was a moment of hesitation then Arthur stood up straighter. "Right. We'll start downstairs. Be careful Ludwig. If something starts happening to Alfred, yell for us."

"We'll probably hear Alfred first," Gilbert said only partially under his breath. Matthew threw him a death glare and he couldn't help but grin.

"No fighting, please! This is difficult enough as it is. No matter to what degree each of us are taking the events of tonight seriously, we all must acknowledge that whatever _is _going on has put us in serious danger. Arthur and Gilbert have already been purposefully attacked in such a way as to critically wound if not kill. This is not the time to be arguing. We must work together." Kiku gave each of them a hard look, flat eyes more serious than usual. The way he held his arm was a sobering reminder that one of their own had been hurt already.

Arthur nodded once at Kiku. "Right, let's get going then. The faster we get everyone together again the better. Remember Ludwig, don't wander off for any reason."

Ludwig crossed his arms, looking insulted by the words. "I have no intention to."

"Right, come along then everyone. Stick closer together, no wandering off, and try not to let yourself get separated like..." Arthur paused and looked at the door before softly muttering to himself, "She isolated him on purpose."

Shaking his head quickly he started towards the stairs, flashlight pointed unwaveringly in front of him. Matthew stared at the door uncertainly and only went when Kiku gently took his arm and started to tug him forward. Gilbert punched Ludwig in the arm. "You take care of yourself, idiot. Don't want to embarrass yourself by having to be rescued by big brother, right?"

"Oh no, I'd never live it down." Ludwig gave him an irritated look but it finally melted into a nervous smile. "I'll be fine."

Gilbert nodded then banged his fist on the door once. "You hold on in there, Alfie! You'll be just fine!"

With that he went bounding after the fading light. Ludwig closed his eyes for a long moment, leaning against the door. When he opened them the light was almost completely out of sight. His eyes slowly started to adjust to the darkness.

There was a soft scratching at the door then Alfred's voice, more afraid than Ludwig had ever heard it, murmured, "You're still there, right Ludwig?"

"Of course. I won't leave you, I promise. If anything starts to happen just let me know. I'll try breaking this door down if I have to."

"Thanks..." There was the sound of sniffling. "W-we're all going to be okay, aren't we?"

Ludwig sighed. "Of course we are. Just imagine it's like a movie."

"...Usually at least one person dies in a scary movie, if not everyone. Except for maybe the main character."

"And who would you say is the main character?" Ludwig thought it might be good to distract Alfred, but he wasn't really sure if this was the best topic to do so.

"Mm, well... Kiku is so calm and collected he's got a huge chance of dying. Your brother is the over cocky guy so he'll definitely die. Arthur is the one who brought us into the situation but I guess it depends. He might live till the very end then die in a dramatic way trying to save us. You're the skeptic so you'll probably die in an ironic way. Mattie and I are the ones she's after so I guess we actually have the best chances of living. Though I supposes one or both of us might die depending on if it's like, a super depressing movie or if it's more like one of those 90s horror films where we have to live to make a sequel."

"...I see." No wonder he was terrified of ghosts, he had obviously seen way too many movies. "Alright then, let's say this is like a young teen movie. It's allowed to be scary but no one is allowed to die."

Alfred gave a nervous little laugh. "Yeah... yeah alright. Sounds good. We'll be okay."

"Of course we will." Ludwig made his voice as matter-of-fact as he could.

The reassurance had just started to make Alfred relax when his cellphone crackled to life again. He let out a low, miserable moan. "Stoooop, please make it stop!"

Josephine's voice, melancholy and faded, sang another verse of the song she had been singing earlier. "_So far you dwell from me my love, and farther your heart will be. But your home is here and 'til you return, The more I wait for thee, my dear. The more I wait for thee..._"

Ludwig listened, body tense. Alfred was sobbing softly again. "J-just please...please won't you stop?"

"Oh Jonathon, I've waited so long... so very long. But now I don't have to wait anymore. You have returned to me, Johnathon... The two of us will be together forever, just like you promised. Just like you promised. You promised!"

The last word was drawn out and distorted into something like a scream before the phone went silent again. A shiver went down Ludwig's spine and Alfred began to sob harder. Ludwig spoke through the door, voice barely wavering. "It will be alright, don't worry. We're all going to be just fine."

Ludwig wasn't completely sure which of them he was trying to reassure anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

In this chapter possession is nine tenths of the law~ -thinks she's funny-

Mild fanservice in this chapter

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The search party was tense as it made its way through the downstairs room by room, the mood only made worse when Gilbert tried to lighten things up with some inappropriately sarcastic or humorous comments. Much of the house was stripped of anything but old furniture and things left by any who had dared break into it perhaps on a dare or hoping for shelter. Though there were plenty of books, vases, broken picture frames, and overturned drawers there didn't seem to be much hope of a crowbar. It didn't exactly help that they hadn't come across an alternative exit.

Matthew was starting to get anxious. He wanted to be back with Alfred. "Old houses like this... didn't they usually have some sort of skeleton key?"

"Yes, well unfortunately keys don't do much good against supernatural forces," Arthur said.

"Well then who's to say a crowbar or something will do us anymore good? Please, just let me go back up and stay with Al! He needs me. He's so frightened, don't you understand?" Matthew didn't just know this based on Alfred's behavior, he felt it. Stronger than almost any other emotion he had ever sensed from his twin; a paralyzing state of terror.

Kiku gently touched Matthew's shoulder. "We are all concerned for Alfred. It is not wise for you to go back. If possible it would be best for you to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Matthew shrugged his hand off impatiently. "As if I would leave without him!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Can you stop it with the return to witch mountain shit? Ludwig is taking care of him, he couldn't be in safer hands."

"Oh, would you just shut up you-!" Matthew started towards Gilbert and Kiku grabbed his arm. "Stop talking about things you don't understand!"

Gilbert cupped his ear. "Speak up, I can't hear that tiny voice of yours."

Arthur cut in sharply before another fight could start. "Please, this is hardly the time for us to be fighting one another! If you must do so, wait until we've gotten out of this!"

Matthew glared at Gilbert then turned away. Kiku gently released his arm and started to support his own again. It ached terribly but it was probably not that badly injured. "Where shall we look next?"

Arthur rubbed his forehead as he thought. "We should be close to the kitchen. That might be a useful place to look."

He lead the way, everyone falling into silence. They reached the kitchen quickly. It had no door, opening immediately into a wide space that was dusty and dingy with disuse and neglect. Arthur swept the flashlight over it and paused. There was a side door. He was almost afraid to move, as if it would alert Josephine.

"Awesome, a door!" Arthur glared pointedly at Gilbert, who seemed oblivious to it as he walked forward.

Arthur's annoyance grew. "Have you never heard of subtlety? Do you have to broadcast for everyone and everything to hear?"

"Look, a door is a door! Bitch would've blocked it already if she was going to, now wouldn't she? So let's try it and see, mm?" Without even the slightest hint of fear Gilbert strode across the kitchen, grasping the door handle. Expecting at least some resistance, he turned the doorknob a little too hard. It moved easily in his hand and the door came open. "Jackpot! My car isn't very far. I always keep random stuff in there that might randomly come in handy. Always good to be prepared right? I'm sure I should have something that can open the door upstairs."

Kiku and Arthur both felt a wave of relief. "If we can get out of the house then Matthew and I can give up our protective charms for whoever goes back as well as to give to Ludwig."

Matthew shook his head stubbornly. "Go ahead and get something but I won't leave until Alfred is with me."

Arthur sighed. "Don't you understand how dangerous it could be for you? It's irresponsible to allow you to stay in here if you don't have to be. Now let's-"

"I said I won't!"

Kiku tried to reason with him as Gilbert tapped his foot impatiently. "Your brother will be fine. You can stand outside the house and wait so long as you are not in it."

Matthew continued to shake his head and Gilbert tsked. "Then we'll just have to force you out!" He crossed the room, grabbing Matthew's wrist and starting to drag him forward. "Stop resisting and let's just leave already!"

The kitchen door suddenly slammed shut and a heavy cupboard started rocking dangerously, eventually being dragged to block their exit. "Shit!"

Arthur scowled. "Now look what you've done!"

Kiku tilted his head. "Josephine was going to let him leave. She only cared once he started taking Matthew away."

There was a slight rattling sound and everyone glanced warily towards the counter. Old cupboard doors squealed and drawers pulled themselves open. They all took a step back. For a moment there was quiet again. Arthur spoke softly, not moving. "I think we should leave this room now."

Gilbert scoffed. "Why? We should drag that thing out of the way and get out! I doubt there's that much left in this place anyway that can be used against us."

An old discolored butcher knife raised from one of the drawers and the other three glared at Gilbert. "Well don't look at me, someone should have cleaned this place out proper-"

"Get down!" Arthur shouted suddenly, knocking Gilbert over as the other two dropped. A moment later the knife had lodged itself deep into the wall.

Slowly old dishes and silverware, cracked and aged, shivered from their rightful places and hung in the air before hurtling towards them. The four scattered, trying to find shelter. It wasn't as difficult to dodge as earlier when there had been all the heavier furniture to contend with but it was just as dangerous. Maybe more so with all the glass and sharp objects.

For a few minutes the assault was ruthless. Gilbert had crawled into a cupboard, wincing every time something slammed against it. Arthur was tucked into a corner, trying to cover his eyes and hoping nothing came smashing down on his head. Kiku and Matthew had taken refuge under a table. The dust was so thick against the floor it made Matthew wheeze. The flashlight sat in the middle of the floor, illuminating the room well enough to see what was happening without it being perfectly clear. Half the time they seemed to be attacked by shadows.

Everything became still again after a while. Matthew almost screamed when the hiss of his cellphone shattered the silence. "Jonathon, don't leave me! You can't... not that you've come home. Don't leave!"

A heavy skillet suddenly lifted from the air and came flying under the table. Kiku and Matthew both gasped, hitting the former in the chest and knocking him back against the ground. Matthew cried out and tried grabbing the pan. "J-Josephine stop! Stop this! I- I won't leave!"

There was an uncertain crackle and the skillet rested in Matthew's hands without resistance. "No, of course you will not beloved... I knew you wouldn't. And now... now we can be together."

With that the hiss fell once more into silence. Matthew swallowed back a sob as Arthur and Gilbert slowly crawled from their hiding places.

Kiku sat up, wincing. "You should not have promised such a thing..."

"There was nothing else I could do. I can't let people get hurt on my account." He set down the skillet, hands trembling violently.

Arthur sighed and looked around the wrecked kitchen. "We should move on. There are other places to look."

Gilbert spat on the floor. "I hate this place! You don't think she's harassing Ludwig, too?"

"Probably not. Alfred is pretty well secured in that room. And can I just say, no matter what, don't let the same thing happen to Matthew." Arthur stared at the blond as he crawled out from under the table. "Then she'll have them both right where she wants them."

"Is it wise to speak like that when she might be listening?" Kiku asked, wincing again as he stood.

Matthew touched the pocket where his cellphone was, feeling a growing sense of dread that he didn't understand. "I don't know why...but I have the feeling Josephine isn't listening to us anymore."

There was an heavy tension and Gilbert finally grunted. "Well, let's get a move on then. Useful items don't find themselves."

Arthur grabbed the flashlight and the four of them left the kitchen feeling a deep unease they couldn't place.

~.

Ludwig was starting to feel painfully tense, his back stiff as he crossed his arms. There had been some strange sounds from downstairs but there was no way he could abandon Alfred. As it was he couldn't let more than a minute of silence fall between them before Alfred asked for a reassurance of his presence.

Alfred sat on the floor on the other side of the door, cheek pressed to the worn wood. His fingers traced over the charm around his neck, clutching it from time to time. His stomach felt queasy and he was shaky from all of the rushes of adrenaline and fear. "Ludwig, do you think they'll be back soon?"

"I'm sure they will be. It hasn't been that long." Not that Ludwig actually knew. There was no way to track the time as he had neither a watch nor a cellphone on him. Really, shouldn't they have been back already? It would be soon. It had to be.

There was a creaking sound and the grandfather clock that had been tilted at an askew angle against the wall abruptly toppled over, falling at Ludwig's feet with a startling clang that reverberated through him. His heart pounded painfully from the surprise and he swallowed thickly, trying to calm it.

"Ludwig? Ludwig!" Alfred smacked the door repeatedly with his palm. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Ludwig opened his mouth and nothing came out but the smallest squeak. Dust floated into the air from the impact and threatened to choke him further. He cleared his throat impatiently. "I-I'm fine. The clock fell over is all. It didn't hit me."

"God, this place is going to kill me with fright!" Alfred slammed his palm against the door again.

Ludwig decided not to mention that he was the one who was lucky not to have had a grandfather clock collapse onto him. He sought out more words of comfort to offer the other boy when he picked up a faint sound. Was that...sobbing? Straining his ears, he tried to determine where it was from. It wasn't from Alfred's cellphone. In fact, it wasn't an unearthly sobbing in the least but heartbreakingly human and it was coming from a nearby room.

Uncertainty went through Ludwig. It wasn't like it was particularly far from where Alfred was but he wasn't supposed to leave him. At the same time, there could easily be another person that had broken in for the fun of it only to find themselves trapped. He couldn't stand the thought of ignoring someone who might be injured or if nothing else horribly frightened.

Debating it back and forth, Ludwig made up his mind. "Alfred, there's something I want to check. It's just a door or two down from here. If something happens, yell and I'll be back in a second. I promise it will only take me a moment, do you understand?"

"N-no! Oh please, please don't leave me alone Ludwig!" There was the faint sound of Alfred clawing at the door and then the startling sound of the doorknob rattling. "Don't leave me!"

"It won't take me long, I just have to make sure of something." It seemed the sobbing became louder and Ludwig's sense of urgency increased.

"B-but the ghost-!" Alfred pleaded.

"There is no such things as ghosts!" Ludwig snapped, voice dangerously edging on a hysterical note. Whatever this was, there was some sort of rational explanation and that was all there was to it! "I will be right back, now be quiet and wait!"

Alfred let out a whimper that almost made Ludwig change his mind. In that moment there was a low moan from the other room and his resolve firmed again. "I'll be right back."

"Don't- Please... oh, please?" Alfred sounded close to tears.

Rather than responding, Ludwig stepped over the clock and started walking down the hall. Alfred pressed his forehead against the door until it hurt, shaking his head slowly. The fallen clock suddenly made a clang, a dying creature letting out one last cry of the time. It made Alfred cry out and backpedal away from the door, hiding in a far corner and hugging himself as he awaited Ludwig's return.

Ludwig glanced back at the clock as it let out the noise then paid it no mind. He checked the closest room first and found nothing. The sound of crying became more audible and he quickly walked to the next room down. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he stood at the door, already partially ajar. The crying was certainly from this room. He pushed at the wood and it slowly creaked open, the hinges screaming their protest. As the door finally came to a stop Ludwig took a step in.

There, against the far wall, was a woman with long blond hair falling in her face like a veil. There was a moment of relief. This was no specter but a person of flesh and blood. Emboldened, Ludwig came closer. "Miss? Are you alright?"

The woman made no move to respond and the sobbing persisted, such a sound of deep lament. It reminded him of Josephine's distorted cry and he quickly brushed the thought away. Ludwig crouched down in front of her, afraid she might be hurt. "Miss?"

As he tentatively reached out to touch her a small, pale hand closed around his wrist. It was so cold it sent a shiver through his entire body. Like marble... or a tombstone. He tried to pull his hand away instinctively but she refused to let go. "I- Er, Miss-"

"I have waited such a long time... I love him so very much, you understand? My sweet, sweet Jonathon..." The woman raised her face and Ludwig's blood seemed to freeze. What had once probably been a very sweet, lovely face was marred by obvious signs of asphyxiation; Burst blood vessels adorned overly-bright green eyes, red and purple splotches started near her eyes and traveled randomly down to her throat, where there was the unmistakable discoloration of a dark bruise that could only have been left by a rope digging into the flesh.

Ludwig desperately tried to pull his wrist from her grip, his body suddenly refusing to cooperate. He shook his head as she straightened up, her other hand coming to rest on his shoulder where her frayed nails immediately bit in like small pins. "All I want is for him to stay with me... And he will this time. I just know he will. He promised me forever, you see? Because Jonathon loves me. He loves me... You will help me, won't you Ludwig?"

The use of his name startled him worse than anything and a strangled cry escaped his throat. Josephine leaned in closer, the chill of her skin almost burning him now. "You're the only one who can help me, Ludwig... Won't you please?"

Now her face was close to his and he could see in horrific detail each burst blood vessel, but even more terrifying the look within her eyes. It was one of desperation deep enough to kill for. Ludwig tried to cry out again as Josephine tilted her head, abruptly closing in as if to embrace him.

The next thing Ludwig knew he was on his back, lungs gasping for breath until they burned. Pain flared up from the center of his head, his limbs becoming heavy. He fought it hard, back arching up sharply and legs thrashing until that feeling of lead weighed them down completely. Slowly all the strength left him and he found himself on the ground, eyelids feeling drugged to the point he could no longer lift them. And then he became very still.

A minute passed, two, as a further struggle took place somewhere deeper inside, and then blue eyes opened slowly. There was a distant look to them, something almost unearthly. With only a little resistance, Josephine made the body stand. It was strange to once more experience the weight of flesh along with the steady rhythm of a heartbeat and the rush of blood. There was no real warmth so much as a shadow of it and physical sensation. How long since she had felt anything at all but her own heartbreak. Slowly, very slowly limbs moved, were tested and flexed. The body sat up and one hand was raised, clenching into a fist then extending back out again.

It was time to retrieve her beloved Jonathon.

~.

Miserable and scared out of his wits, Alfred rested his cheek against one knee as he strained his ears awaiting Ludwig's return. It wouldn't take long, he had promised... He had promised hadn't he? His entire body tensed as he heard something—a small clang suggested that it was the clock—sliding across the floor. Oversensitive ears pricked at the slight rattle of the doorknob and then the click as it turned.

"L-Ludwig, is that you?" Alfred jumped as the door opened, getting up on his knees and squinting into the dark. He made out Ludwig's broad form and felt a wave of relief. "Thank God! How did you get the door open?"

There was no proper answer from Ludwig, only hurried words. "Give me your necklace. Quickly."

Alfred's eyes widened and he looked at him uncertainly. "B-but if I do, then... I mean I'm not supposed to or-"

"Quickly! It will only be a moment. Please. It's very important." The voice gained an edge of desperation that was unheard of for Ludwig.

The insistence was so strong that it gave Alfred pause. Ludwig must really need it if he was asking. After all, Ludwig didn't believe in ghosts. Something really bad must be happening. A part of him wanted to ask what but the overwhelming majority of his being didn't even want to know. He whimpered softly and pulled the necklace off with great reluctance. "O-okay but give it back as soon as you can."

Alfred threw the protection amulet and it it clacked as it hit the floor, skittering closer to Ludwig. He began to move forward and Alfred expected him to scoop it up. Instead he walked right past it, towards Alfred. "L-Ludwig? What-"

Ludwig's hand came to rest lightly on Alfred's cheek. "Oh, Jonathon... There's nothing standing between us now."

A chill went through Alfred and his mouth was suddenly dry. When he spoke his voice was soft. "Wh-what? Th-that's not funny."

Ludwig smiled sweetly at him. "Oh Jonathon, it's been such a long time... I missed you. I just missed you so..." The expression on Ludwig's face suddenly crumpled into one of deep pain. "Why did you leave me, darling? Was it because I kept losing the babies? That wasn't my fault! You know I wanted children so very much. Just as much as you!"

Alfred pushed up against the wall to escape his touch, body trembling. He cried out as Ludwig abruptly took his hands. "P-please stop, Ludwig, it's not f-funny!"

Ludwig suddenly looked perplexed, blinking away the pain. He clutched Alfred's hands more tightly. "Don't you know me, beloved? Jonathon... it's me. It's me, your Josephine! You must forgive me, I know I don't look like myself but this was the only way... Oh don't you see, now I can make sure the two of us can be together, my love."

Alfred shook his head, eyes growing huge. "No... no please!"

"Shh, darling, it will be alright. Soon we'll always be together as we once were..."

Ludwig reached up and touched his cheek, stroking it tenderly this time. Alfred recoiled but he was as flat against the wall as he could get. His sense of claustrophobia in no way improved as Ludwig began to lean in, ripping through the thin layers of space left between them.

Alfred's trembling increased as Ludwig got closer, breathing so quickly he felt lightheaded. He was starting to hyperventilate. What was going on? And then it hit him; Ludwig had been possessed. Alfred opened his mouth to scream, not even the slightest sound coming out. And in that moment Ludwig pressed their lips together, kissing him as a long parted lover would.

Alfred's spine stiffened, almost each of his vertebrae popping. Ludwig—no, Josephine—clamped onto him more firmly as he tried to pull back, pinning him to the wall. Didn't it just figure that Alfred's first kiss would be from a guy possessed by a ghost who thought he was her dead husband. If he wasn't being kissed he would have started laughing in hysteria over that. He couldn't catch his breath. Panic was pressing in like a dark, suffocating cloud.

Something within Alfred couldn't take it anymore. This whole thing had reached a point that was too much for him to cope with anymore. Alfred's vision seemed to go like an old television set switching off and his body slumped as he fainted. Even while his body was now in peril his mind had shut itself off into ignorant bliss.

Josephine supported the sudden shift in weight as Alfred faded. Yes, this body was perfect. It held Jonathon easily. "Were you overwhelmed with bliss at our reunion, beloved?"

She tenderly kissed his forehead then scooped him up in a twisted parody of the day he had carried her as a new bride over the threshold of this house. Tonight she would carry him over a threshold of sorts and their existence together would begin anew. A fresh beginning, a chance to wipe clean what had been written by history's hand.

As Josephine turned she glared at the necklace on the ground, the awful thing that had prevented her from reaching out to her Jonathon. With a great deal of concentration she willed a broken piece of glass to shred the talisman. As it was cut she felt the power go from it with a sense of satisfaction. That done she walked towards the door, her long awaited prize firmly in borrowed arms.

Already there was a slight strain in keeping this body under her control but Josephine didn't mind. She only needed it for a little while. Soon neither she nor Alfred would have use for flesh and bone.

Josephine began to sing, the song taking on an unfamiliar feeling in Ludwig's low voice, as they began to ascend into the attic, "_Well the tide it shall cease to beat the shore And stars shall fall from the sky, Yet I will love thee more and more, Until the day I die, my dear, Until the day I die._"


	6. Chapter 6

Hey everyone~ This chapter was so easy to write it was like a dream. It might help that I've been on a real horror kick lately.

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Things were not going well for the search party. They had gone through most of the downstairs without finding anything that could be used to open the upstairs door. None of them found any exits that wouldn't take a lot of prying and breaking down wood, either. The best luck they'd had all night was the kitchen and that wasn't looking like much of an option anymore.

As they searched Matthew began to fidget, his concentration waning more and more. They had just started back towards the main entrance when he froze, gaze shooting up to the ceiling. "I need to go check on Alfred. Now!"

Arthur paused and looked back at him. "What's the matter?"

Matthew shook his head slowly, expression bordering on despair. "Something is wrong... Something is very wrong and Alfred needs me. He's so scared!"

"He's been scared since the first time Josephine called," Gilbert said, getting bored by the whole thing. This was no fun. "Ludwig has him covered. If I say he's fine, then he's fine."

"It's not the same!" Matthew sounded almost hysterical, panic and anger intermingling in his voice. "He's in danger! Alfred is-"

Matthew staggered suddenly, as if he'd been stricken. Kiku hurried forward to steady him. "What is the matter, Matthew?"

"I can't... I can't feel him anymore. Oh god... oh god I can't feel him!" By now Matthew was trembling, not bothering to explain what he meant by that.

Gilbert snorted, not liking the theatrics. "There is nothing wrong with Alfred and I will prove it!"

He strode towards the entrance, the other three trailing closely behind. Gilbert paused at the foot of the stairs and called up. "Oi! Luddy, Matthew here is having a panic attack. Tell him that he's being a wimp!"

There was silence and the four of them all felt colder. "...Ludwig! You fall asleep up there? Answer me, already!"

Matthew whimpered when they still didn't hear anything. "I told you!"

Kiku and Arthur shared a serious look as Gilbert took a few steps up the creaking stairs. His voice was surprisingly booming for someone of his size. "Ludwig, you answer me this second or I will kick your ass!"

The house seemed to groan and they all jumped. Matthew shook his head and started running up the stairs. Arthur hurried after him. "Stop, Matthew! Stay in the light, you don't want to hurt yourself."

But at that moment Matthew was not the least bit concerned with his own well-being. He needed to see for himself that Alfred was okay. He had to be, he just had to be! Matthew almost tripped over the fallen grandfather clock, noticing it just in time. A glance in either direction confirmed that Ludwig was nowhere to be seen.

Gilbert was now on the floor with them, looking around more persistently. "Ludwig? Where the hell are you? Ludwig!"

Arthur pointed the flashlight in either direction then at the door to the room Alfred had been locked in. It was ajar. Matthew seemed frozen for a moment, swallowing back his panic as he entered. "Alfred...?"

He walked further into the room and stepped on something that crinkled beneath his foot. He knelt down and picked it up. A cold sweat broke over him as he squinted and realized it was Alfred's protection charm, now ripped to shreds and powerless. He got up and turned to Arthur and Kiku, stricken. "Josephine has him!"

Kiku walked forward and took the shredded necklace, worry fluttering in his chest. "We should start with a quick check of this floor-"

"This is impossible!" Gilbert broke in. "Ludwig wouldn't- He isn't stupid!"

Arthur clenched his teeth then shook his head, thinking quickly. "Well, clearly something happened as he is not here. We can only hope they're both alright. But there's no reason to check this floor. There's only one place Josephine would take Alfred, after all. The place she died."

They all jumped as the floor creaked above them, turning their gazes up to it wearily. Gilbert's lip curled up into a snarl. "That bitch thinks she can mess with my brother and not feel my wrath?"

He snatched the flashlight from Arthur's hand and charged towards the attic. Matthew tried to hurry after him and Arthur grabbed him. They struggled violently as Matthew fought to escape his grip. "Let go!"

"It would be foolish for you to go up there! I don't want her to get her hands on both of you. Please, Matthew!"

Matthew shook his head. "No! I can't, I can't let her do something to Al! I have to protect him!"

Arthur turned to ask for Kiku's help only to see his outline disappearing up the attic staircase in the sudden darkness. Bracing himself, he continued to hold onto the other boy who was much stronger than he appeared. Arthur prayed that nothing had happened to Alfred, but the more casualties he could prevent the better.

Gilbert sprinted up the stairs two at a time and burst into the attic. He felt his anger stagger as the flashlight came to rest on his brother's back. He was humming something that seemed eerily familiar but that he couldn't quite place."L-Ludwig! Do you even know how seriously pissed I am at you right now?"

Ludwig's humming abruptly stopped and he tilted his head, turning slowly. His eyes seemed strange and Gilbert frowned. "Luddy? What are you doing? Where's Alfred?"

Ludwig turned around and Gilbert felt a choking sensation. His brother was supporting Alfred's limp body and around his throat was a noose attached to a long rope that was already strung up over one of the rafters. "What do you want?"

"What are you doing? Are you insane? Get that thing off of him!" Gilbert took a step forward and Ludwig held Alfred closer to himself.

"Stay back," he hissed. "I don't want you!"

Ludwig's expression softened again. "I have no interest in you or your friends. I will even let you leave if you like. I can open the doors. All I need is my beloved Jonathon. Let me keep him and you are free to go."

Gilbert stared, dumbfounded as Ludwig pressed a kissed to the unconscious boy's hair. "Ludwig, what-"

"That is not Ludwig," a voice stated at his side.

Gilbert jumped, glancing down at Kiku who had appeared out of nowhere. His dark eyes were narrowed at the two before them. "Josephine. That's who you are, isn't it?"

A few things flickered across Ludwig's face and then it settled on something wary. "Yes. I am Josephine. What do you want from me?"

Kiku kept his voice gentle. "Josephine, I know that you are lonely and angry that you have been abandoned, but-"

"I was not abandoned!" The room groaned loudly around them and Alfred twitched. Josephine calmed and rocked him lightly. "I always knew he would come back for me. And now he has. Please, just let us be."

Gilbert started to say something and Kiku quickly held up his hand to silence him. "I am so sorry, Josephine. I truly am. But can you do something for me? Think very carefully and remember what Jonathon looked like. Then look at the one you hold in your arms. That is not the same person you loved."

Josephine's expression darkened and she looked down at Alfred. "It is... It is him! You dare tell me I don't know my own beloved? If you do not leave this place peacefully then I guarantee you will never leave at all!"

Gilbert glowered. "You really think you can reason with her, Kiku? She's completely insane!"

"I am not insane!" Josephine spat.

Gilbert laughed mockingly and Kiku shushed him again. "Josephine... What do you intend to do to him?"

Her expression softened once more as she looked down at Alfred. "All I want is for us to be together. Now he's come home to me but we cannot truly be with one another so long as Jonathon is still alive."

Josephine's hand traveled down the lank rope attached to the noose, pulling it gently. "He will die as I did and then there will be nothing keeping us apart. I do not wish to make him suffer but it is the only way."

That infuriated Gilbert and he pushed Kiku's hand away when he tried to gesture at him to bite his tongue. "There's no way you're using my brother's body to murder Alfred! Get the hell out of him!"

Josephine glared pointedly at Gilbert. "I have changed my mind. You are a very rude boy and do not deserve to leave this place unscathed!"

Wood creaked loudly behind them accompanied by the thundering of footsteps on the stairs. Kiku and Gilbert winced and turned to check behind them thinking it might be an attack from behind. Instead it was Matthew, freezing as he saw his brother. "Alfred, no!"

A look of confusion crossed Ludwig's face as Josephine looked carefully from Alfred to Matthew, frowning. She carefully set Alfred on the ground, stroking his hair before straightening to look at Matthew. "Jonathon... What are you doing? Won't you please take that necklace off? We can't be together if you don't. Please, my love."

Kiku's eyes widened. "That's it, the necklace! Use the necklace against her!"

"Alright! Nice thinking, Kiku!" Gilbert took off at a full run towards Josephine, hitting his brother's body with his full weight. The two fell to the floor, Gilbert pinning Josephine down. "I hope you didn't make the mistake of thinking I wouldn't hurt Ludwig just because he's my brother."

"Get off of me you brute!" Josephine grabbed Gilbert's arms and winced, releasing him immediately. It hurt... It hurt to touch him!

Gilbert ripped his necklace off, smirking. "Go back to hell where you belong!"

Josephine gave him a panicked look and tried to push him off. Undaunted, Gilbert gave his brother a good punch on the jaw then threw his necklace around his neck. Josephine let out an ear-splitting shriek, clawing at the necklace before she was abruptly forced from the body. Her form, weak and nearly transparent, trembled a few feet away looking at Gilbert hatefully. Matthew and Alfred's cellphones crackled loudly and the room creaked so loudly it almost sounded like the beams might break. Then just like that she disappeared. There was the faintest sobbing from the phones and then they went dead.

It did not take Matthew long to throw off his stupor and run to Alfred's side. "A-Al!"

He hastily loosened and removed the noose, fingers shaking so badly he could hardly control them, tugging at the rope until it fell then throwing it as far away as he could. He quickly pressed two fingers to Alfred's throat and sobbed with relief when he felt the faint pulse of his heartbeat. Matthew pulled him close and rocked him. "Alfred, oh God, Alfred. Please wake up. Please?"

Kiku glanced back as Arthur came up the stairs. "Ludwig was possessed by Josephine. It seems she was intending to hang-"

For the first time Kiku's resolve seemed to truly be shaken and he covered his mouth, turning away for a long moment. Arthur waited patiently as he took deep breaths before turning back around. "T-to hang him. So that they could be together. But when Matthew came in she also called him Jonathon. It distracted her and Gilbert was able to use his charm to expel her from Ludwig's body."

They looked over at Gilbert, who had Ludwig's head cradled as he slapped his face. "Wake up, stupid. Come on already. Who do you think you are, sleeping beauty? Come on, Luddy just open your eyes!"

Kiku shook his head slowly. "This... this is very bad."

Arthur didn't need to be told that. He claimed the flashlight, which Gilbert had dropped as he rushed into the fray against Josephine. Kiku went to kneel beside Alfred, slipping his own necklace off and putting it around the other's neck. Alfred needed it far more than he.

It was a few minutes, both being encouraged by their siblings, before either of them finally regained consciousness. Ludwig was the first, his eyes opening sluggishly. "Gil...?"

No amount of bravado could hide how relieved Gilbert was. "About damn time, jerk. I thought you were going to sleep the rest of the night. What kind of idiot are you, getting yourself possessed by some woman? You were totally macking on Alfred and you will be old and gray before you live that down."

Ludwig frowned then tried to sit up, needing Gilbert's assistance to do so. "Alfred, is he...?"

"He's alright," Kiku said softly. Matthew was still rocking him, speaking so softly none of them could hear the words. "Unconscious, but alright."

Ludwig sagged in relief. "Thank goodness. I was... A part of me was aware but I didn't know exactly what she was using my body for at any given time. I... I could feel... It was eerie. She's so lonely. It hurts. It-"

"Stop it! You're seriously freaking me out, Ludwig!" Gilbert smacked his back sharply.

"Sorry." Ludwig rubbed his forehead. "More than anything she's desperate. It's horrible and even frightening. She also... Josephine can barely tell the difference between Alfred and Matthew. They... It has nothing to do with their looks. Something about them... feels the same. If that makes sense."

"Maybe because they're twins?" Arthur suggested.

Ludwig shrugged. "I don't really know."

Gilbert looked over at the twins, both of which seemed removed from the conversation. "So what, she's going to pick the one she thinks is more like that deadbeat husband of hers?"

"No." Ludwig's voice was suddenly shaking. "No. She doesn't know which one is the right one so she intends to kill both of them. Sh-she wants them both to hang because that's the way she died and... And she thinks that will make her less directly involved in their deaths. She... She needed to possess me because I'm the only one strong enough to support their weight properly."

Ludwig brought his knees up and pressed his forehead to them. Gilbert put an arm around his shoulder as an unsettling silence blanketed them.

There was a low moan and Matthew straightened. "Al?"

"Mm... Mattie...? I had such a bad dream. I..." Alfred opened his eyes and looked at all of them, expression shifting from confusion to dread. He let out a whimper. "It wasn't a dream."

Matthew hugged him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay! What happened?"

Alfred hugged him back weakly. "I... I was waiting for Ludwig to return because he wanted to check something and... then he... It was Josephine and she was Ludwig but..."

He suddenly flinched as his eyes ran over Ludwig. Matthew rubbed his arm reassuringly. "It's alright. Ludwig is himself again."

"M-mm... I, well I mean... She... she- I thought it was Ludwig and he asked for my necklace and I thought it must be a really big deal if Ludwig was asking, you know? And I didn't want him to get hurt or anything so I threw it over. But then he walked right past it and up to me because it was actually Josephine and she had tricked me."

Alfred paused, body starting to tremble. "Then... then she started saying all this stuff like... like we would always be together because I promised. And like, asking if I- er, Jonathon had left because she had kept losing the babies and... and eventually I realized what had happened and the next thing I know Ludwig—or Josephine, I guess—was kissing me. And then I passed out."

"My god... you really did make out with him, Ludwig!" Gilbert smacked his brother sharply on the back again.

"Cut it out!" Ludwig sat up further, face flushing slightly. It was much more like him and made everyone feel a little more at ease.

"F-first kisses from ghosts possessing people don't count," Alfred stated softly but firmly.

"Oh man, you were each other's first kiss and everything!" Gilbert cackled wildly. "Now you can claim you're such a good kisser you knock people out!"

Ludwig elbowed him. "Shut up!"

Alfred looked around again. "What... what are we doing up here?"

There was another uneasy silence and the somewhat lighter atmosphere disappeared completely. Kiku cleared his throat. "Josephine... she brought you here."

"Why?" Alfred got very creepy thoughts out of some bad B movie of being sacrificed or seduced by Josephine. He couldn't decide which was more frightening.

"It doesn't matter," Matthew said softly, trying to be comforting. "You're safe and that's all that-"

"No," Ludwig broke in, voice loud and insistent. "He deserves to know exactly what sort of danger he is in. Josephine brought you up here so that she could hang you."

All of the color that had returned to Alfred's face immediately drained back out. "H-hang...?"

"You don't have to scare him more than he already is!" Matthew snapped.

"Ludwig is right," Arthur cut in. "He does have a right to know. And you should keep it in mind as well, Matthew. She intends to do the same to you."

Gilbert scoffed. "You know, Artie, you make yourself sound so wise and calm. Yet isn't it your fault they're here? Alfred didn't want to come and Matthew sure as hell didn't want either of them to go. It was only at your coaxing that they're in this predicament to begin with. Maybe you're working with the ghost?"

Arthur gave him a sharp look. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing? I will do everything in my power to make sure everyone gets out of here safely. If you want me to acknowledge the fact that I made a horrible mistake, I am more than happy to do that. Are you satisfied now?"

Kiku spoke up before anymore hurtful things could be thrown around. "Please! Stop fighting! Our best chances of getting out safely are if we all work together. We have enough to worry about with Josephine attacking us. We hardly need to be attacking each other."

Arthur and Gilbert looked away, neither looking inclined to apologize. Kiku continued. "We do not know when Josephine will regroup so perhaps we should concentrate on doing that ourselves."

Ludwig crossed his legs. He was starting to feel much more collected as the aftereffects of having Josephine control him started to wear off. "It was very strenuous on Josephine to possess me. Her control was already starting to weaken when Gilbert arrived. I think that blow with the charm did a lot of damage to her. It... seemed to hurt her, anyway."

"And you were all doubtful about it. Speaking of which, give mine back." Gilbert held his hand out expectantly.

"No." Kiku shook his head. "There are only three of them left and they are being worn by the ones who need them the most. Alfred and Matthew, neither of you should take those off for any reason. Ludwig should also wear one because clearly he is Josephine's main target for possession."

Gilbert was more than a little annoyed by this. "But-!"

"Kiku makes a good point. Or do you want to see your brother possessed again?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at him and Gilbert made a nasty face. "Then it's settled. Do you think we should move or shall we rest here?"

Ludwig cleared his throat. "I... It seems the possession took a lot of out of me, too. I feel very weak. I can move if it's necessary but resting here a few moments would..."

He was clearly embarrassed. Kiku's eyes flickered up to the ceiling, to the beam where Josephine had hung herself. "I feel uneasy being so close to the place of her death. But if she was really worn out then we most likely have a chance to rest as well. How does Alfred feel about it?"

Alfred and Matthew had been so quiet up until then that everyone had almost forgotten their presence. Now they all turned to look at the two for a reaction. What they found was Alfred sobbing silently, face pressed against Matthew's shoulder. Matthew mouthed words of comfort into his hair, rubbing his back slowly. Neither seemed even vaguely aware of the others.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Their cellphones usually crackle when Josephine is active. It should be warning enough. As soon as Ludwig feels up to it or once we hear that sound, we'll start heading back downstairs. I agree that it's probably best to get away from this room as quickly as possible."

Gilbert grabbed the back of his brother's neck and shook him lightly. "Slowing us down, now. Oh well, at least you aren't a sobbing mess."

"He's really afraid," Ludwig said softly.

Kiku nodded. "Alfred has had a very intense fear of such things as long as I have known him. Can you imagine being confronted with that which is most terrifying to you?"

"I confront it every time I see Luddy's face. Ow!" Gilbert rubbed his rib as Ludwig elbowed him again but didn't move away from his side. "Okay, I guess I'll cut him some slack as he's the target of a murderous psychotic bitch who thinks they're married. Oh hey, it's like that weird Russian guy and his little sister!"

Gilbert snickered but it soon petered out. Everyone else's mood was too heavy and weighted down his attempts at humor. The occasional audible sob from Alfred only seemed to drive home the bleakness of the situation.

They waited, resting and reflecting on their own personal thoughts. Each little creak or groan sent a shiver through their hearts. How long did they have before Josephine would resume her assault? And how were they going to escape this place before she could claim either one or both of the twins' lives?


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone~ Remember when I used to be good at updating things regularly? Like... once a week? -sighs heavily- Sorry for making everyone wait so long for everything.

Small warnings in this chapter for Gilbert's mouth and mild fanservice.

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No one was quite sure how much time had passed when Ludwig stirred. His usually meticulous hair was a mess and when he spoke his voice was oddly gentle. "I'm feeling much better now. I think I should be fine moving."

"About damned time," Gilbert muttered. He was getting anxious with all this waiting and he didn't like how he was feeling one bit. Gilbert Bieldschmidt did not get scared, damn it!

Arthur seemed to be pulled from thoughts a million miles away. For a moment he looked older than he was in the flashlight's glow then once more resembled the frightened teenager he was. "I think we should get going then. Josephine's power is probably strongest in this room."

Kiku's gaze wandered over to the twins. They held fast to each other and it became confusing for him to tell where Alfred began and Matthew ended. He blinked and the strange illusion was lost. This place was getting to him, too. "Matthew, is he alright to go?"

"I-I'm right here, you know," Alfred said softly, his voice delicate. "I can move, yeah."

Alfred started to stand, Matthew rising with him. They supported one another until they were both on their feet. It occurred to Arthur that they shouldn't stand so close together, that it would be better strategically to separate them. He held his tongue. That logic would undoubtedly not get very far under these circumstances.

Gilbert likewise helped haul Ludwig to his feet. He wavered once but after that he seemed solid, if not a bit pale. When they were all standing they stared at one another in a sort of bemused daze. It was actually Alfred that finally broke it. "I want to go home."

Matthew rubbed his back. "We're going to go home right now. We..."

They had never found a way out. It was then that Gilbert had what was possibly his only good idea for the entire night. "Oh! The only reason we couldn't get out of the house before was because the bitch blocked up the doors and threw shit at us. If we move something out of the way while she's still weak we can get out!"

Everyone felt a wave of relief. Ludwig nodded. "There are certainly enough of us to move anything she put in front of the door. We should move quickly, though."

After all, if Ludwig was feeling better, how did Josephine feel? Huddling close together, the group started down the stairs. Arthur went first, holding the flashlight. Kiku was close behind him, followed by the twins. Ludwig then Gilbert brought up the rear. They all held their breath, waiting for the hostess of this grim party to make an appearance.

They carefully walked around the grandfather clock, Alfred shuddering. Ludwig glanced down at it then kept his face forward, jaw clenching. The stairs creaked and it sounded far too loud in their hushed silence. Still, there were no incidents as they all made it safely to the first floor.

Arthur paused, waiting. Nothing. He strode towards the front door and they fanned out a bit, looking at the large desk that was blocking their path. "If two of us push, the rest can pull either from the side or the front. With all of us this should be doable."

They all quickly discussed it. Ludwig and Alfred (who seemed calmer than he had since they first got there) would pull, Matthew and Arthur would push, and Gilbert and Kiku would do what they could to add extra force from the side.

As they moved into position a chilling question went through all of their minds. _Was it really this easy? _They tried not to let it linger but it did. Surely it couldn't be this simple. It never was. Alfred knew that better than the others and he was determined to get out before things got really bad because it never, never was-

There was a faint crackling sound from the cellphones and every one of their hearts sank. Ludwig immediately took control, his voice overly loud and harsh. "On the count of three we put everything we've got into it! One! Two-"

"_Jonathon_..."

"Three!"

"_You can't leave me again, Jonathon!_"

Everyone put as much force as they could into it, pushing or shoving as hard as was possible. They trembled with the effort, breaking out into a cold sweat. The air was filled with wood grinding against wood and the flashlight rolled along its surface making light flash sporadically. They got it halfway past the door before they had to stop.

"Come on," Alfred whined, trying to pull.

"Just give us a second and we can regroup," Arthur said, teeth clenched tightly together. They were all filled with nervous energy, eager to start up again. They took a breath and repositioned themselves as the crackling became stronger.

"_Jonathon!" _

"One, two, thre-" They were about to move again when one of the drawers struck out violently, smacking Gilbert sharply in the ribs. He swore loudly as Kiku hastily backed up, his injured arm pulled away from it protectively.

Josephine's voice was suddenly booming, no longer just in the cellphones. "Stop trying to take him from me! Let me have my Jonathon!"

Gilbert held his ribs, ignoring the throbbing pain. "You crazy bitch! Your husband left you! He probably had some other really smokin' lover on the side. And I don't blame him. If I had to spend more than five seconds with you I'd run off too! I'd rather kill my-"

Matthew shoved him hard to make him shut up. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Gilbert was about to retort when he was violently pulled onto his back. He struggled as he tried to get a hold of something that he couldn't even see. It started to drag him along the floor rapidly and he writhed, trying to get free. "Ludwig!"

Ludwig was sprinting after his brother in a heartbeat, trying to catch up with him. He had almost reached him when Gilbert was violently yanked to the side, thrown against a wall. He gave a pained cry as he struck the wood, a more frantic one escaping him as he was shoved against it again.

"Gil!" Ludwig was reaching for his brother again when a chair came flying at him from the dark, tripping him up and sending him painfully onto his knees.

Josephine's voice came out as a hiss, filled with self-righteous fury. "Nasty boy, getting in my way, saying ugly lies! I won't let you! I won't let you take him from me again! I'll kill you if I have to!"

Gilbert was dragged kicking and cursing up the wall. The others watched in a sort of dazed horror, tingles traveling up their spines and making their scalps crawl. Cement seemed to root them to the spot.

Knees stinging, Ludwig pulled himself up to his feet and grabbed his brother's legs. He was hoping that the power of his charm would be enough to stop her but his brother kept getting pulled up higher. "Stop! Don't hurt him!"

The cellphones cracked so loudly it was as if they were giving off a faint electric charge. Matthew took his out almost on impulse, staring at it for a moment. In a shaky breath he started to talk at the static. "Josephine, if you can hear me... please stop!"

"_No! I won't! I won't let him take you away!_" There was a frustrated sound and then the chair that had assaulted Ludwig splintered into pieces. One of the chair legs rose up and came flying at Gilbert, cracking him sharply along the ribs. His mouth opened as he let out a silent gasp of pain, no sound coming out.

The sound from the cellphones began to resemble something like a high pitched shriek as items floated from the ground, hanging in suspension. Arthur was trembling. Josephine was going all out. At this rate she very well might burn out but she might also kill Gilbert in the process. There was one last thing he might be able to do but... He looked around. The others looked ashen faced, obviously unsure of what to do. Ludwig was trying to pull his brother down, crying out desperately at Josephine as she assaulted his brother mercilessly with the chair leg. His resolve firmed in that moment, as much as he didn't care for it.

Arthur strode forward, voice a bit uncertain when he spoke. "Josephine... Please, stop."

The crackling continued, as did the cries of pain from Gilbert, and Ludwig's pleas. Arthur took a slow breath then spoke again, voice booming. "Aunt Josephine, stop this at once!"

There was a sudden, strange hush in the room. Josephine had gone still and the others were deadly quiet. Matthew stared at Arthur, lips parting for a moment before he seemed to force himself to speak. "Arthur... what did you just call her?"

Arthur cleared his throat, standing up straighter. "Josephine is my great great Aunt."

The uncertain silence continued for a few more beats of time.

"If this is true," Kiku said softly. "That would explain a few things. Your strange fixation with making Alfred and Matthew come out here. Also, Alfred said that Josephine looked familiar to him. It was not because he had ever seen her before, but because she resembles you."

Ludwig's grasp didn't loosen around his brother's legs but that did give him pause. "Now that you mention it... I wasn't thinking it at the time but she does look like him."

Things were clicking into place but Gilbert hardly cared. His rage flared up and he gasped out, "You bastard! You were working for her! You summoned her and lured Alfred and Matthew here to-" The chair leg came down sharply against Gilbert. "Ah! You bitch!"

Before Josephine could further retaliate, Arthur hastily spoke. "Look, it's true that I knew about this connection between us. All I wanted was to put her at peace. That's all, I swear! I never had any dark intentions and never imagined it would turn out like this. And now I'm going to make things right if I can."

Arthur took a deep breath, "Aunt Josephine, please stop this. Can't something be arranged?"

There was a soft crackle of static and Gilbert was suddenly dropped. Ludwig awkwardly caught him before they both tumbled to the ground. Matthew's and Alfred's cellphones both began to ring. Matthew jumped and quickly fumbled to pull his out. There was no information on the caller ID. Chest feeling tight, he answered it. "H-hello?"

"_Jonathon...put my nephew on the phone, please. Thank you, darling._"

Her voice sounded faded, tired, but determined. Matthew swallowed hard and held the phone out for Arthur, who took it gingerly. "Josephine?"

"_Arthur... You'll help me, won't you? I beg of you. I can only find peace so long as I have my Jonathon with me! If you do this for me I'll let the others go, no exceptions. They can walk right out the door. I just need your body for a little while. Only a little while? Please?_" She let out a soft sob. "_Please, Arthur?_"

Arthur glanced at Gilbert, who was being supported and watched over carefully by Ludwig. He was definitely worse for wear. Next his gaze turned to Matthew, who was staring at him with wide eyes, hands clenched together so hard his fingers were pale as bone. Next Arthur met Kiku's eyes, usually so calm and clear, now clouded with uncertainty and strain. He was still holding his injured arm. At last his gaze traveled back to Alfred and for the first time he noticed the strange mood that had overcome him. "Alfred...?"

Static crackled in his ear and he ignored it for the moment. Alfred was staring straight ahead, his eyes glossy. His expression was perfectly blank. A chill went through him and he was convinced that Josephine had done something to him. That should be impossible, though. He was wearing one of the protection charms.

Matthew had followed his gaze and his expression became even more horrified. He hurried over to his twin and shook him gently. "Alfred? Alfred! Please, say something!"

Alfred gave no indication he had heard anything, merely staring straight ahead. Matthew let out a low sob. "What's wrong? What's happened? Alfred!"

"I think he's in some form of shock," Kiku said uncertainly. "Perhaps this latest assault was too much for him and he went somewhere else for a while. To cope."

Arthur had to think. He needed time—but there was none. The decision had to be made _now_. Did he let them potentially all die? Did he risk letting Josephine exhaust herself? He finally spoke in a low voice. "Josephine, give me a couple of minutes. Five, no more than five are needed. Just... let me talk to them. I will give you my decision then. Please allow us some privacy?"

There was an uncertain silence. Arthur knew he was pushing it. There was no reason she should trust him any more than the others just because he was some great nephew of hers. There was the slightest crackle. "Very well. Five minutes. I will grant you privacy but if I think you are trying to trick me..."

"I understand. Nothing like that will happen. Thank you." The cellphone went quiet in his hand and he numbly lowered it. "We have to talk."

Ludwig tried to help Gilbert to his feet and was brushed off impatiently. "You think we should listen to a goddamn traitor like you? Are you going to kill them? Is that what you're going to do? Tell us to give them up? I'm waiting!"

Arthur gave him an affronted look. "It's not like that at all! I can... I can make a deal with her, but you have to cooperate with me. She wants to possess me and... finish what she started, I assume. However, this might not be the worst deal to make. She would let the rest of you go. And Ludwig said possessing him had made her tired. I'm sure it will make her tired to possess me as well. She has already used even more energy against Gilbert and might lose stamina before she can do any real harm. Meanwhile, one of you can call the police. Say it's an emergency. They can break in here and... It's honestly the best I've got."

"Now isn't that depressing. The best you can do is leave yourself vulnerable so your crazy aunt can kill one if not both of them. Look! Alfred is in some kind of comatose state! Josephine has crazy ghost powers and you want to let her possess you and leave him at your mercy? It'll be a slaughterfest! Maybe you just enjoy the idea of it," Gilbert hissed accusingly.

"That is enough, Gilbert!" Ludwig snapped. "We have to think about this carefully. Arthur, she really is very desperate. Do you think that you can handle it?"

Matthew interrupted suddenly. "Shouldn't you be asking me that? Can we handle that? Can I handle that? I'm not sure, actually but... I say it's worth a shot. Maybe Arthur can try to resist her and I can overwhelm him and hold him down until you get help. And... I think it's worth it to try and take Alfred out with you. She... I don't know why she needs both of us and..."

They didn't need him to finish the sentence. It was obvious that Alfred was in bad condition. He was so distant, as if there was no one there at all. It was a miracle he hadn't gone into this strange state earlier but everything had obviously finally gotten to him. He needed to be taken away from there as soon as possible. Alfred wouldn't even be able to protect himself from Josephine.

Kiku ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't want us to have to leave anyone behind. It's..."

"It's our decision." Matthew stated more firmly than anyone expected from him. "Just like it was my decision to come here with my stupid brother and it was his decision to come with this... this idiot."

Arthur didn't seem vexed by the words so much as ashamed. "If you act quickly, I'm sure no harm will come to anyone...more than it already has."

Gilbert was glaring at him harshly. Ludwig had already decided. He didn't want to abandon Alfred or Matthew or even Arthur, but he had to get Gilbert out of this house. Josephine would definitely kill him if given the chance and Gilbert would only provoke it. "I think we should do it."

Gilbert stared at his brother in disbelief then sneered. "It seems everyone has their mind made up about it anyway."

There was a short pause. Kiku was about to protest one more time when the cellphone rang again. This time it was only Matthew's. Arthur raised it. Once again, no contact information. He answered it. "Josephine?"

"_Your decision?_"

Arthur looked at everyone else then closed his eyes. "I will do it. You must keep up your end of the agreement though. Let the others free."

Josephine's voice softened with eager relief. "_Yes, oh yes I will! Remember, Jonathon must stay. And you have to take that necklace off that prevents me from touching him._"

Arthur hesitated but if they had already decided there was no point backing out now. "Alright. We'll send the charms out with the others."

Kiku made a face but Arthur shook his head at him. Matthew removed his necklace slowly then reached up and took off his brother's. This was ridiculous. No protection at all. He handed the charms to Kiku, who gripped them tightly. His face was pale and almost sickly.

With them removed Arthur was momentarily afraid that Josephine wouldn't keep her end of the bargain after all. Her voice distracted him from his thoughts. "_Are you ready_?"

Arthur took in a shaky breath. No, he was not ready for this. "Yes."

There was a pause and then the cellphone went silent again. Josephine appeared before them, closer than anyone was expecting. They all took a step back from her. Shaking, Arthur handed Matthew's cellphone to Ludwig and tried to stand up taller as he approached her. Josephine pushed back her long blond hair, revealing her face, each vein cutting across it like a marker of her sorrow. Arthur tried not to wince away, disturbed by similarities that were undeniable between them as they came face to face.

"Arthur," Kiku said uncertainly. Arthur held his hand up.

"Go ahead, Aunt Josephine." He braced himself, terrified and oddly thrilled. Goosebumps prickled along his arms.

Josephine came closer, pressing in close to Arthur. The others watched in horror as she possessed him, Ludwig shuddering as he remembered the sensation. Arthur collapsed to his knees, gasping. It was easier on Josephine this time. Perhaps it was because she was not met with resistance or maybe it had something to do with their shared bloodline. She easily slipped into his skin, into his mind.

There was a strange moment as they came together that Arthur saw as she did. All of the others seemed vague in her vision, their faces unfocused. Most interesting of all was that each had a distinct aura surrounding them. One was rounded and soothing and blue. Another, red and harsh and jagged. Yet another, solid and nearly orange with tints of red here and there. And then there was mild confusion. Two were exactly the same. Soft around the edges and golden and kind. So kind.

Arthur felt his aunt's attraction to these auras and in a strange round about away understood that they were similar to what Jonathon's aura must have been like. Josephine was more focused on Alfred and Mathew's auras than their actual appearance (other than the fact that it was loosely similar to her husband's). And there was no telling one from the other. So that was why. They were-

_Jonathon. _

Arthur's consciousness was overwhelmed by Josephine's and he was pushed very far back into a corner, completely shut out from what she was doing. She could not allow for anyone to interfere, not even Arthur. This was her last chance and it would be all or nothing.

Josephine opened Arthur's eyes slowly, feeling her control over this body. She turned her attention to the others. They jumped as the desk slid the final few feet out of the way of the door. It took more effort but she could still do that even in a body. The door swung open invitingly.

"Go. All of you. But Jonathon must stay."

There was a moment of uncertainty. Was it worth it to try and run? No. She would surely close the door before then and who knew what would happen if they broke the agreement. Matthew gently pushed his brother towards Kiku. "Please take him with you. She only needs one of us."

Kiku bit his lip hard then took Alfred's arm, guiding him towards the door. It started to swing shut. "Jonathon must stay!"

Matthew let out a frustrated sob. "Why isn't one of us enough?"

If Josephine heard the question, she chose not to acknowledge it. "Leave, before I change my mind."

Gilbert growled low in his throat and Ludwig grabbed his arm tightly before he could even think of doing anything stupid. "We'll do what we planned to begin with. We'll go out and get help for them."

There was a pause and then Kiku released Alfred. He walked out the door, followed by Ludwig who had a tight grip on his brother's arm and was dragging him out. They had barely gotten outside when it slammed shut behind them. Gilbert turned and grabbed the knob, trying to pull it open. It remained stuck fast. "Locked it, that bitch."

Ludwig immediately took out the cellphone Arthur had given him and started to dial the police. Gilbert continued to pound on the door, kicking it when that didn't seem to be doing any good.

Kiku eventually touched his shoulder, worried that he might hurt himself. "Stop that, Gilbert, it will do us no good. Once the police come then-"

Ludwig's voice rose angrily and they turned to look at him. He was staring at the cellphone in disgust. Kiku frowned. "What's happened, Ludwig? Are they coming?"

"No," Ludwig said, voice thick with anger.

Kiku gave him a horrified look. "What do you mean, no?"

"Guess how many prank calls they've received over the years about 'emergencies' at the Carter house on Halloween night? They told me to stop wasting their time and not to call back."

"Maybe if you try again-"

"I feel that unless I threatened something... I could try. They seemed pretty impatient about it." Ludwig was rubbing his temples, trying to think.

"Screw that," Gilbert snapped. "I have a plan. I just have to get something from my car. Give me a minute and I'll be back. We'll get in there and save Al and Matthew from that psycho ghost for sure!"

Gilbert took off like he shot, holding his side. It screamed with each footstep but he steadfastly ignored it. He had parked up away from the house a bit to hide it from the others. Now the distance was a hindrance. Time was precious and if they didn't hurry someone very well might end up dead after all. All Kiku and Ludwig could do was wait pensively.

~.

Inside the house it was eerily quiet. Matthew flinched as Gilbert banged on the door then ignored it and turned back towards Arthur. Or Josephine. He swallowed hard, standing between Josephine and Alfred. "W-well Josephine... here I am."

Josephine stepped towards him, holding her arms out. "My dear, aren't you happy? We can be together now. If you come with me we can-"

"No." Matthew straightened up, though his hands trembled violently. "I won't. I'm here Josephine, but I will not sit by and let you hurt me or my brother. We are _not_ Jonathon. You have to open your eyes up and see this!"

Josephine stared at him, arms slowly dropping. She looked as if he had slapped her. Arthur's mouth tightened, eyes narrowing. "I see... Jonathon... I didn't want to have to do this. We will be joined once more whether you want to return to me or not."

Josephine held out an arm and a large shard of broken glass that littered the floor wobbled then came to her hand. "I didn't want to have to hurt you this way but..."

Matthew paled but thought he could hold her off. He was mostly concerned about his brother. What if she attacked him at the same time? As it turned out he should have been more worried about himself. As he watched her cautiously the desk suddenly came flying forward. Matthew cried out as he was hit from behind, knocked over roughly. He let out a pained gasp and scrambled to his feet. Josephine stood over him, eyes wide with desperation and fury. "Jonathon!"

Matthew yelped in pain as she swung the shard and it clipped him, cutting him sharply down the chest at an angle. He had just stumbled back when the desk hit him again and he landed hard on his knees. Matthew was dazed, brain buzzing as he tried to think. His breath came in short gasps. Alfred-

The desk shifted towards his side and came at him. Matthew frantically moved away from it, his back suddenly hitting the wall. The desk dragged across the remaining space between them, pinning his arm and shoulder to the wall at a painful angle. "Stop!"

Josephine walked over, singing softly. Her expression was serene. Matthew watched with wide eyes, the desk smashing against his shoulder and sending a white hot flash of pain through him. He sobbed, not sure if something had been broken. Josephine stopped in front of him and raised the shard of glass, a droplet of Matthew's blood dripping from the jagged edge to the floor. "We'll be together. You'll be with me forever. Just the two of us like you promised!"

Matthew struggled against the heavy wood that pressed him to the wall. Fear was like a cold blade down his spine. If she killed him then she'd kill Alfred next. Where were the others? Why hadn't anyone stopped this yet? "Run! Please, Alfred, snap out of it and run!"

The shard of glass was raised and Matthew's breath caught in his throat. He was going to die. He was going to-

"Josephine!"

Josephine paused and looked over towards Alfred. He was pale but seemed more himself again. Matthew turned to look at him. What was he doing? Was he insane?

Though Josephine's concentration had been broken she quickly recovered. "I will get to you soon, my love. Until then I must take care of-"

Alfred's voice cut in, strong and steady. "Do you not recognize your own husband?"

Josephine's froze, eyes widening. Matthew gaped. What? What was he talking about? Josephine squinted down at Matthew then turned fully to Alfred. "Of course, of course I do, my love! It has just been so long..."

Alfred walked closer. He seemed calm and collected. Josephine cut the rest of the distance until they faced one another. Josephine looked up at him, almost disbelieving. "Where have you been all this time, Jonathon? I was so alone. So very alone... You promised!"

She reached up, putting Arthur's arms around him, pressing close. "I missed you..."

Alfred rested his arms loosely around Arthur's waist. "I know."

Josephine slowly began to raise the shard up high, intent on bringing it down into his back. Then they could be together. Then he would keep his promise!

Matthew cried out in warning but Alfred didn't pay him any mind. His eyes were locked on Arthur's, looking into them as he addressed Josephine. "I know. I know you've been lonely... and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Before Josephine could make a killing blow Alfred leaned in, kissing her deeply. She went very still, squeezing the glass tightly until it bit into the flesh of Arthur's palm and blood began to roll sluggishly down to his wrist and into the cuff of his sleeve. His hand wavered indecisively and then the broken piece of glass was dropped, shattering completely as it hit the ground. A hand came up into Alfred's hair, clutching with desperation. The other touched his cheek, smearing blood across it.

When they were both nearly breathless Alfred pulled back, reaching up to cup Arthur's face. "Josephine... I've done wrong by you. None of this is what I intended for. I wanted to be with you. Nothing... nothing was supposed to come between us but it just didn't work out that way. Things went wrong. I'm sorry my love. So sorry..."

Tears welled up and slipped down Arthur's cheeks. "Why did you leave me here? I never wanted anything but you, don't you understand? I've waited so long. So long-!"

Alfred hugged her fiercely. "And I'm here now. I'm right here for you. I'm sorry I was so late. Josephine... you never wanted to hurt anyone, did you?"

"No." She pressed a tear stained cheek against his chest, clutching him as if he were a lifesaver.

"I didn't think so. You were just scared and alone, weren't you? And it was my fault. But I'm here now." Alfred gently pushed her back. "Josephine... it's time for you to come home."

Josephine nodded slowly, fresh tears welling up. "We can go together, can't we?"

Alfred shook his head slowly. "No, you have to make this journey on your own. But I promise something so much better will be waiting on the other side for you."

Josephine gave him a reproachful look, panic rising up again. "I want to go together! What if I go and you're not really waiting for me?"

Alfred took Arthur's hands, lifting them up to kiss his knuckles gently. "I know I broke a very important promise to you in the past. I would do anything to fix that. Trust me this once, Josephine. Once more. It's time to move on. Then we can be together."

Josephine searched his eyes and finally let out a soft sob. She brought her Johnath's hands up to a clammy cheek. "I'm sorry... You must be so ashamed of me after all I've done. I was just so very lonely without you."

"I know. It's okay. Everything will be okay." Alfred leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

She gave him a tearful smile and reached up to touch his cheek again. Fear and hope flashed in her eyes and she moved to kiss him briefly once more on the lips. She had him here, now, and they were together. But Jonathon had come back. He'd finally come home to take her from this place. He was far too late, but he was keeping his promise at last. "I love you, Jonathon. I have always loved you."

"And I have never stopped loving you, Josephine. Never."

Tears continued to roll down Arthur's cheeks, lower lip quivering. Finally Josephine nodded, her grip loosening. "I'll go. And I'll find you on the other side. I... You're sure we'll be together?"

"Yes. We'll find each other. This time I'll keep my promise. If you can't find me, sing that song I love and I'll come straight to you. Trust me, Josie."

Josephine swallowed thickly. It seemed an eternity since she had last been called that. A spring morning, freshly awoken by a kiss, being promised this trip would be the last one and then it would just be them. Forget the rest of the world, just the two of them forever. "Then I'll go. Please don't keep me waiting again. I can't take it any longer."

"I won't. I'll be waiting for you. Now let go."

Josephine slowly backed away from him, their hands sliding, lingering, fingers finally parting. She began to detach herself from Arthur, who fell first to his knees and then slumped over onto his side as she fully left his body. Josephine let out a soft sigh. She was so tired... brittle. It would be good to rest. She had been waiting such an awfully long time.

Josephine began to fade, her eyes never leaving her darling Jonathon. There was a peace that filled an aching wound within her. Matthew watched from his corner, unaware that he was also crying. With a one final content sigh, Josephine was gone.

For a few breaths of time, no one moved. They were still, and then Alfred seemed to startle back to his senses. He looked down at Arthur and let out something that was a mixture of a hysterical laugh and a sob. "Oh my god."

He crouched down, repeating the phrase again and again, checking Arthur's pulse. He blinked and looked down at himself and stared at the blood on his hand then reached up to touch his cheek. When his fingers came back wet with blood Alfred stumbled to a wall and began to vomit.

Anxiety welled up within Matthew. "Al! Alfred!"

Once he had finished Alfred wiped his mouth shakily with the back of his sleeve and hurried over to his brother, grasping his hand. "You're okay? Matt?"

"I-I'll be alright. Alfred, you... What happened?"

Alfred became distant, looking like he was close to having a nervous break down. "I heard you cry out and I just... I don't know. I don't..."

Alfred began to sob as he braced himself and started to shove the desk away from Matthew. As soon as there was enough room Matthew squeezed out from the space, rolling his shoulder. There was a deep ache there and his chest was bleeding but he was still alive. They both were. "Those things you were saying, I-"

Matthew stopped and stared at him then absurdly burst into tears, throwing himself at his brother.

"Oh god, Mattie, I was so s-scared!" Alfred began to sob so hard it hurt, all the strength leaving his body.

Matthew pet his hair, trembling just as violently as Alfred. "I know. Me, too. I was... But it's done now. Josephine is gone. We're safe. We-"

He couldn't speak anymore. His throat tightened and he gave into his own tears, most of which were from relief. They embraced fiercely, all things becoming distant except for the solid reality of one another. It felt as if neither would ever dare let go again. It was over...

Right?

~.

Gilbert came sprinting back across the lawn, jumping all of the stairs and nearly skidding into Kiku as he reached the porch. Completely breathless, he shoved a red container as his brother and lifted a crowbar, immediately starting on the door with a low grunt.

Kiku stared at him, stunned. Why did he have a crowbar? He was grateful but it was also perplexing. Not as perplexing as when he realized that the other thing Gilbert had brought was gasoline. The smell of it wafted gently in the air. "Gilbert, what are you planning?"

Gilbert said nothing, pushing all of his weight on the crowbar. "Shit! Ludwig, you do it!"

Without a word, Ludwig handed the container to Kiku and replaced his brother, pushing until the tendons stood out in his neck. With a sick splintering sound the wood burst from his force, the door swinging open. Gilbert grabbed the crowbar from his brother and charged in.

"Come at me, ghost bitch!" What he found was not a vengeful spirit bent on murder, but rather what appeared to be an unconscious Arthur and the twins holding onto each other for dear life.

Kiku rushed over to Arthur, half sure he might have been killed in the struggle that had surely taken place. His relief was immense when he found he was still alive. After searching a bit for some spare cloth he pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and began to wrap up his injured hand.

Ludwig went to the brothers, gently touching their shoulders. "You're alright?"

It took a long time but Matthew finally raised his head, nodding. "She's gone... It's done."

That was all he said before returning to his former position, face buried against Alfred's hair. Gilbert sneered at the house and picked up the container of gasoline, which Kiku had abandoned, and snatched up the flashlight that had fallen to the floor long ago. He started to run up the stairs, nearly tripping more than once. Ludwig stood and called after him. "Gilbert, what are you doing?"

Gilbert paused at the top of the stairs. If his face hadn't been overcast by the dark, they would have seen the fury in his expression. "I'm burning this house to the ground!"

It was common for Gilbert to have bad ideas, but that was just too much and Ludwig could barely believe his ears. "What? Don't be insane!"

But Gilbert was already heading down the hallway, leaping over the fallen grandfather clock. They heard him thundering up the attic stairs. Ludwig turned his attention back down to the others. "We have to get everyone out of here. That crazy-! I'll grab Arthur. Kiku, make sure these two get out."

Ludwig went over to Arthur, scooping him up. His head rolled, slumping against Ludwig's chest, and he made a soft sound. Kiku had made his way over to the twins, gently coaxing them to their feet. They did not speak or acknowledge what was going on, simply held fast to each other and shuffled outside with Kiku's delicate guidance. Ludwig carried Arthur out, not sure if he should hold onto him and wait or go in after his brother. Truth be told not one of them was that opposed to the idea of the house burning.

Gilbert, meanwhile, was splashing the gasoline around the attic. His expression was alive with a sadistic, furious glee. He allowed the gasoline to trail down the attic stairs and halfway down the hall. He paused, breath ragged, chest heaving. His grin was that of a malicious wolf as he struck a match against the wall. He held the small flame up. "Time to burn in Hell where you belong!"

He flicked the match and it fell to the floor, flames greedily shooting up to consume the gasoline. Gilbert wanted to watch it travel up the stairs but knew better than to stand around and get himself burned with the rest of this dump. He rushed down the stairs, jumping the last three. His leg almost buckled as he landed and a deep pain went through his side but he continued onward. He burst from the house just as Ludwig was starting to consider going in again. "Run! Get to the car!"

Gilbert grabbed his brother's sleeve and tugged before letting go and taking the lead. He let out a great whoop of success. Ludwig sighed, giving the house a concerned look. Finally he started at a slow jog towards his brother's car, trying not to tousle Arthur too much. Kiku gently pushed the twins forward, forced to go at a slower pace. They could not be roused to move more quickly.

Within, the fire was traveling rapidly, first spreading where the gasoline was and then licking at old, dry wood. It began to eat at the house ravenously, climbing the walls, going up the beams, over the floor. The attic was already engulfed in flames, the old photograph of Josephine and Jonathon turning black before fading to ash.

Gilbert waited at the driver's door, slamming his hand impatiently against the car roof. "Come on, come on!"

Ludwig maneuvered to open the front passenger's door. He started to slip Arthur into the middle and Gilbert shook his head. "Get in and put him against the door. I don't want him flopping onto me when we haul ass outta here."

Ludwig nodded but paused by the door. He finally slid in as Kiku arrived with Matthew and Alfred. As he got in, struggling to adjust the unconscious Arthur, Kiku opened the back door. The twins entered first, sitting hip to hip and clasping hands tightly. Their foreheads pressed together and they almost resembled some strange statue in their symmetry.

Kiku closed the door behind him, taking the time to clasp his seatbelt. Gilbert jumped into the car once they were all in and revved the engine. He peeled out, gravel crunching under his tires in short-lived resistance. As they passed the house they noted there was already a bright orange glow visible in the attic. The fire was more effective than Gilbert had planned. He slowed as they drove by it. If Josephine wasn't gone, Gilbert was more than a little smug over the fact that she sure as hell wouldn't have anywhere to come back to.

Satisfied, Gilbert took off at a speed alarmingly over the speed limit, a new urgency rising up. It wouldn't be any good if they got caught. The sky gradually brightened behind them with the rising flames. As they got closer to the town Gilbert slowed and glanced in his review mirror. They had made it. His body might ache and most of them were hurt in one way or another but they were all alive.

Gilbert dropped one of his hands down and found Ludwig's. Ludwig said nothing but grasped it. They didn't let go for the rest of the drive, even when it affected Gilbert's ability to drive properly. Arthur remained against the window, still unconscious and not seeming inclined to awake anytime soon. Kiku stared out his own window, silent and pale. From time to time he rubbed his arm. Alfred and Matthew whispered to each other so softly no one could hear them. Only they knew what passed between them but a calm came over them as time went on.

There were still a trickle of teenagers dressed up and walking around as they got further into familiar neighborhoods. It seemed absurd, somehow, that people would be joking and having a good time in cheap store bought costumes when they had almost died by supernatural means. Already their experience was starting to feel like a surreal nightmare, hardly even real. In time, probably a little different for each of them, they would even be able to talk and laugh about it as if it were merely a horror flick seen on t.v. There would no more late night calls from Josephine.

* * *

**AN: **I find the idea of people having unique auras to be very interesting. I figure 'magical' abilities or sensitivity to more phenomenal occurrences runs in Arthur's family. There will be one more chapter for wrap up and who knows what else~ So, hopefully that will be out soon. Hope you enjoyed!


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